Live Review: Drapht w/ Dylan Joel & Marksman Lloyd @ The Wharf Tavern
Perth lyrical genius Drapht smashed the stage with an amazing line up at The Wharf Tavern in Mooloolaba for the first stop on his ‘Seven Mirrors‘ tour. The dude knows how to get the crowd going, making sure to point out the dedicated fans who know every word of his songs, and brought along some extremely talented musos from all over Australia!
The openers for the night Oblivious Gestures were an interesting choice, picked by winning a competition hosted by Drapht. They’re a rough around the edges hip hop trio that show potential with their turn-based rap style and pumping beats. For the handful of people who actually arrived on time, these guys had an energetic set that showed their passion, and even gave away a free shirt!
Second up was the super engaging Marksman Lloyd, who interacted with the crowd through fist bumps, free music downloads, and even got off the stage to get people moving closer. This guy has some serious rhyming talent, even showing off with a freestyle where he used objects given to him by the crowd for inspiration.
“Drapht was jumping on speakers, climbing the drum kit, and absolutely thrashing it out to an amazing set list with the perfect mix of new and old material.”
Main support act Dylan Joel rocked the tavern and really brought his A-game to the show, even getting his drummer and guitarist to come out for a synchronised dance! Making the crowd his crew by getting them involved in most of his songs and he even played his triple j Like A Version of You’ve Got A Friend In Me. The super humble Melbournian put the icing on his set by meeting the crowd after Drapht’s performance, happily taking photos and chatting with his Sunny Coast fans.
Drapht hit the stage with a whirlwind of energy and excitement, making light of the fact that his show was on a Thursday by saying he’d have to call bosses and explain why no one was going to work the next day. He was jumping on speakers, climbing the drum kit, and absolutely thrashing it out to an amazing set list with the perfect mix of new and old material.
Playing songs like Monday Monday, Monsoon, and Mexico from ‘Seven Mirrors’, Drapht rode high on the crowd singing along being so familiar with his latest tracks. He would catch glimpses of the lads and ladies who were rapping along and point them out with a look of disbelief before smiling, clearly moved by the dedication. Although featuring artists such as Bradley Stone and Dune Rats weren’t present for the tracks, Drapht and his band played each song flawlessly and each showed an obviously raw musical talent.
When speakers accidentally cut out a few times Drapht didn’t let it break his flow, as he played crowd favourites Rapunzel and Sing It. A demand for fan favourite Jimmy Recard sang out through the crowd, and Drapht didn’t disappoint as he leapt across the stage as he dropped the track.
If the set list wasn’t tasty enough already, Drapht threw a pie in the works with his Like A Version cover of The Avalanche’s Frankie Sinatra, words do not describe just how fantastic that song sounds live. Drapht was in his element with the entire crowd singing along to the recent track making the cover his own with the help of the band, especially some super talented backing vocals!
The crowd was pumping from start to finish as Drapht celebrated the release of ‘Seven Mirrors’. With no telling where he’ll go from here, fingers are crossed that we don’t have to wait another five years for more juicy beats from this talented Aussie hip hop genius.
Check out our Photo Gallery from Drapht’s Brisbane show HERE
