True Live Unified

True Live
The UNIfied Tour featuring Bliss n Eso, True Live, Funkoars and The Winnie Coopers
Bar on the Hill, University of Newcastle, Wednesday April 30 2008.
Reviewed by Anna Reeder


Usually April is a sad time of year for music lovers. The weather’s getting colder, the summer festival season is well and truly over; life as we love it ceases to exist.

One band has turned that all around. With their unique blend of hip hop, jazz and contemporary beats, True Live definitely made this music lover’s sun shine again.

With 400+ presale tickets, the cosy uni bar was packed to overflowing for the Newcastle leg of the UNIfied Tour.

The atmosphere was buzzing as local partiers jumped around for two sets of crowd-pleasing, Hilltop Hoods-esque, ‘Aussie’ hip hop from the support acts. Entertaining to be sure, but hardly original or exciting.

Thank god for jazz and string instruments.

True Live’s line-up of double bass, drums, keys, cello and violin immediately made an impression on the crowd with singer/rapper/band leader Ryan Ritchie aka RHyNO MC calmly taking control of the stage as he introduced the band and the first song ‘Side Steppa’.

One simmering keys solo later and I’m hooked.

The lyrics are fresh and honest, the beats are strong but not overbearing, with the cello and violin providing the songs with a distinctive, brooding overtone that sends goose bumps down my spine.

This is Australia’s answer to iconic, hip hop group The Roots, right here.

Call me a music snob, but I’m still impressed at how well the drunken masses responded to the improvised nature of the music. I for one love to watch a good jam session going down on stage, and as the band flowed through their musically-ambitious set, it became clear that the audience did as well.

Forty-five minutes later my elation peaks as the band finishes off the set with ‘TV’, a favourite track and on high rotation here at Triple J. I am absolutely stoked to see the crowd truly appreciating the music. In the words of the bogan dancing beside me - “You bloody legends!”