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Submitted by Charlee on 18th June, 05:59PM

Back in 2006 I was extremely impressed by a relatively unknown hip hop outfit from Sydney who performed on a small stage at Kiss My Grass. Fast forward to March, 2009, and I find myself once again in front of the same group, along with 80,000 other Australians, at the historic Sound Relief concert in Melbourne. What happened when their performance commenced has stayed with me to this day. If you can picture a sold out MCG jumping, singing, swaying and rocking to Australian hip hop, then you may begin to comprehend the electricity Bliss N Eso projected that memorable day. Now, as I approached Festival Hall, accompanied by the same dear friend who had introduced me to BNE in 2006, my body was tensed with excitement. “If these guys managed to destroy the MCG when it’s filled with Midnight Oil worshipers,” I thought, “what on earth is going to happen at Festival Hall when they appear for their most loyal fans?” I now know the answer to that question.
 
After being ID’d and patted down we took to the floor while Diafrix were on the back end of their set. We weren’t familiar with their work, and were keen to check them out. By the time I secured a beer from the bar their set was unfortunately pretty much over, but I definitely liked what I heard and strongly suggest you check them out. The announcement from the venue that Pez was next on the bill created mayhem on the floor, a mayhem that is not wasted on this impressive MC. Pez tore through Festival Hall with his hypnotic long locks and cleverly placed lyrics. A sea of voices could be heard as the crowd sung along to his hits, including the massively successful “Festival Song”. Pez’s set finished and we waited patiently for the main act of the night to arrive.

When the opening lines from “Flying Colours” were broadcast out, accompanied by clever visuals on two massive screens, I knew it was time to bounce. Bliss N Eso exploded onto the stage with the energy they are famous for. “It took two LPs to get a crack in the door”, they cried, and as the whole crowd responded “HERE’S JOHNNY!” it was plain to see that Australian hip hop had well and truly arrived. It was almost hard to keep up with the gig, as they punched out hit after hit from their ARIA Award winning third album. Tracks like “Eye of the storm” and “Zion Bash” had the chicks in a frenzy(and even the dudes were having a dance!) Foundation fans were not to be let down, with past hits like "Up Jumped the Boogie" and "Watchdog Water Dragons" also getting a run. Ignoring the sweltering heat inside the venue, the boys appeared on stage dressed appropriately for my favourite track, "Happy in my Hoody". We all followed suit and chucked our hoods over our sweaty heads to rock out in true hip hop style.

A surprise appearance by the lovely Paris Wells, a debut performance of their latest single “On Tour” and the politically driven “Sea is Rising” rounded out a show that I honestly could not fault.  With a sold out national tour, a Gold album and hot new single on rotation, Bliss N Eso have placed themselves at the top of my list, and are strong contenders for Australia’s hip hop crown.