On Thursday, after a long week with the weekend looming right around the corner, the 3^rd Infest the Nation event took place at the Beetle Bar with an abundance of local Hip-Hop acts to breathe life back into the days ahead.

As I entered the Beetle Bar a slow trickle of people entered with me including the acts for the night. During this time I made my way to the stage to find Pre aka ?RE undertaking what appeared to be part sound check, part performance and part rap battle with other members of the line-up. Slowly but surely he started his solo performance, I was immediately hit with the amount of energy Pre had in his performances. With a very active presence he bounced around the stage, getting as close as possible to other punters in the process. He was also exceedingly engaging; stopping after almost every song to get some words into a one-way conversation he was having with the audience. During this time stating things such as “We all know 911 was an inside job.” Which seemed to act as a testament to his outspoken mindset and lyrics, fitting his traditional Oz Hip-Hop style.

Artistic Collective was the next to enter the fray of the festivities. Once again, traditional Oz Hip-Hop artists, but working as a duo which included artists Morgan Freebase and Nerve (one half of Thought Junkies). The chemistry between the two on the night worked brilliantly, with each artist visibly feeding off of each other’s energy. While the two did seem very new to the music they did not disappoint with an entertaining performance. Both proceeding to rap harder and faster than I thought was possible at times, and with an unyielding confidence.

Once Artistic Collective had relinquished the stage, Hype supported by DJ Barry Hell stepped up. The two went with a different direction than the previous acts, going with more of a New Age Hip-Hop style. The performance was populated with pop music samples and body moving bangers. Once again the energy and chemistry between the two was engaging and made the performance all the more entertaining to witness. The two looked and acted the part for a pair ready to take the Brisbane Hip-Hop scene by storm and the crowd knew it. With attendees filling the area in front of the stage, you could see that the two knew how to bring the hype.

The pair was followed by Oblivious Gestures, who seemed both excited and nervous to take up the gauntlet. The pair brought things back to the traditional oz Hip-Hop with bandana clad DJ and all, though with a bit of a twist. This came in the presence of a kilt-wearing guitarist who acted as a support for the group and continued to shred during some ridiculously good flows that came from the duo. Regardless of the nerves, Oblivious Gestures managed to perform both enthusiastically and energetically though out their entire set.

By this point most of the punters had made their way out of the venue, possibly continuing on to various recreational activities that the middle of the week held for them. With heavy hearts but the energy to overcome, Velcro Raptor took to the stage. The New Age Hip-Hop/ Rap duo launched straight into a reality changing performance, with the pair working in perfect harmony. Putting lots of love into performing songs from their debut album, Thick Shake. They proceeded to take it upon themselves to pick up the spirits of the remaining few attendees, which I can safely say they did, with vocalist D.I.N actively interacting with the audience and delivering one of the stand out performances of the night.

Things concluded then, with artist Lj Mac taking on what remained of the attendees. While the night still remained pretty dormant, Lj Mac did his best to continue the night’s energy. Where he proceeded to get down off the stage and start a cypher going with Nerve and Apeman. Afterwards he proceeded to then freestyle for what remained of his set before concluding what was a rollercoaster of a night.

- Hamish Deeth