Terra Firma – Gig Review
Putting a gig on in Melbourne on Cup weekend has always been a risky venture, whether it’s on Cup Eve or any other night over the long weekend. There are so many things to do in Melbourne it can be hard for anyone to prioritise what they want and need to do. I was lucky enough to have absolutely nothing on last Friday and as there where a couple of gigs (Hermitude @ The Prince – check back for review later) on in Stkilda plus Terra Firma at The Espy. As I had to prioritise what I wanted and needed to see I got down to the Terra Firma (AUS) gig at around 12.40 am, I had been told they where coming on at 12.45am so I thought I had scheduled this perfectly. When I got to the front door I saw they where already performing and was in a hurry to get in there and cop the show. Unfortunately I wasn’t on the door, but there is a saying in the music industry ‘if you think you belong there, then you probably do’. Well it’s not commonly used but essentially if you can talk shit enough, you are going to get in. The first thing I noticed was that the (Gershwin) room was empty and by that I mean it was fucking empty. There was so much room in there that I could have held a rave, from the bar to the back of the room without the few diehards at the front caring too much. No wonder my name wasn’t on the door, I thought to myself. Whoever promoted this gig, really fucked something up and this gig wasn’t just running at a loss it would have been equivalent to the current US deficient. For those who haven’t heard of Terra Firma (AUS) or who haven’t (didn’t show up) seen them perform before are missing out. As members of Adelaide’s legendary Certified Wise collective, MC/producer Simplex, MC Raph A.L, MC Mic Lez and DJ Dyems are possibly one of he best outfits in Australia at the moment as far as grass roots Oz Hip Hop goes, on a world standard these guys are beyond up there. Which again brings me back to being truly disappointed with the crowd size. This didn’t seem to phase the lads at all, they performed as if the room had 1000 punters in it. Playing a mix of tracks from there recent release Music To Live By (out now dist. By Shogun Distribution) and older releases from Culture of Kings compilation and Walking The Past (2003). No tracks performed stood out as any better than the previous as mthey where all performed with Gusto. And having not actively listed to these lads and not received their current album it was hard to judge on anything other than pure merit of the performance. Which was gold. I do have some footage from a shoddy camera phone, which I will try to upload for you soon. On a rating out 10, these guys deserve a 10 for performance and effort. WHEN you get a chance to see them again, check them out, you will not be disappointed. I have invited Terra Firma to drop by and make some comments on the gig and maybe fill in the blanks on tracks.
Check out there myspace page here http://www.myspace.com/terrafirmacrew
