Concrete Playground

If it weren't for Elefant Traks, Sydney hip hop would be screwed. They have released countless records from Sydney's rising stars and stalwarts over the last 12 years, cementing themselves as an icon of Australian music. Part of the stampede of rising stars are Horrorshow. Straight outta Sydney's inner west, MC Solo and beat man Adit dropped (that's what they say in hip hop right?) their ARIA-nominated debut The Grey Space in 2008. People went bananas. The duo keep it pretty stripped back, with Solo's laconic, intelligent flow and Adit's eclectic yet accessible production elevating them above barbecue hip hop and cringe-inducing nasal twangs.

The industrious youngsters have popped out a follow-up, Inside Story, in a little over a year and they are celebrating at the Factory Theatre. First single Thoughtcrime has been getting a slamming on Triple J and Inside Story took out Mr. B. Zuel's number one spot for hip hop album of the year (that's hip hop in general, not just Australian), so I'd say they are in good spirits.