Australian hip hop lords the Hilltop Hoods have hit the road once again, in celebration of their release of a fresh ‘Restrung’ album. Following the successful 2007 rework of their fourth studio album, The Hard Road, their new release revisits key-cuts from both of their previous legendary albums, Walking Under Stars and Drinking From the Sun. 

I must admit that I’ve seen Hilltop Hoods more times than I can count on one hand, however, I’ve never quite seen them like this. Joining forces with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Singers Choir for the Brisbane leg of their tour, it’s clear that Hilltops are continuously re-writing the hip hop rule book.

Main support for the night was English-Irish born singer, Maverick Sabre. After appearing on a couple of recent tracks off Hilltops’ EP, Walking Under Stars, himself, it was no surprise that the boys decided to bring him along for the tour of a lifetime. Featuring his notorious dub-reggae infused rap, Sabre effortlessly had the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand from the get-go — which was pretty encouraging to see for an opening act. Everyone was feeling the vibes Sabre was putting down, and watching on from the seating above, the crowd was really getting into it. He effortlessly did his job as an opening act, and managed to get punters hyped for what we were all here for — hip hop legends, the Hilltop Hoods.

A spanning velvet curtain swung open to reveal the Queensland Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Singers Choir, who quickly kicked off the music that was barely audible over the crowd’s deafening applause. With no time to waste, the Hilltop Hoods bounded on stage with undying energy. Before even saying a word, it was clear that the audience were already mesmerised just by their presence. The Entertainment Centre couldn’t be silenced, so all that Hilltops could do was jump straight into a song.

The Hilltop Hoods pulled out crowd favourites such as “I Love It” and “Chase That Feeling” to start off their set, largely followed by a whole handful of songs off their latest restrung album like “Won’t Let You Down”, “Drinking From The Sun” and many more. The crowd was going absolutely mental from start to finish — Hilltops even managed to get punters out of their seats and up and dancing. Smashing out recent single “1955” sent punters into total ecstasy, somehow amping up their set more than they already were. 

MC Pressure and Suffa were completely commanding the stage, barely taking any breaks to breathe while DJ Debris owned the decks. After casually strolling off stage towards the end of the night, every single person in the venue knew that this wasn’t over. The Entertainment Centre erupted into a sea of chants and applause, as the Hilltop Hoods ran back on stage for the encore.

Jumping straight into crowd favourite “Cosby Sweater”, fellow Aus hip hop god Illy bounded on stage to help the Hilltops out with one of their last songs for the night. Breaking all records of crowd response, they group effortlessly delivered some fire. It wouldn’t be a Hilltop Hoods set if they didn’t end with timeless classic, “Rattling The Keys To The Kingdom”. It was the peak of the night, no doubt about it.

It was so encouraging to see the Hilltop Hoods conquer the challenge of a live orchestra, bringing Hip hop to the forefront of music once again. The orchestra’s spine-tingling involvement was something extremely special to witness, and the effort by all parties in co-ordinating such a complex set was easily paying off. What the Hilltop Hoods deliver is the definition of soul every single time, and their live set is a truly a masterpiece to watch. 

- Antonia Hickey