Live Review: Koi Child, Kirin J Callinan, Winston Surfshirt, Benjamin Witt

Koi Child rolled into the Newtown Social Club to promote their self-titled debut LP, packing out the venue and bringing a high intensity, fun-filled show. The Freo boys were at their boisterous best, ensuring the sold out show would go down in history as one of those special Saturday nights where all those smooth vibes unite the people and everyone goes home with a smile etched across their faces.

Koi Child opened with a frenetic and explosive song and proceeded to pick up the pace. Frontman Shannon Cruz Patterson provided a delicious flow matched in silky nuances by the horn section: Christian Ruggiero on tenor sax, Jamie Canny on alto sax and Sam Newman on trombone.

The rhythm section only intensified the sound, adding weight to the show. Blake Hart was sensational on drums, mixing the heavy steady tempo of hip hop beats with the frenzy of jazz. Yann Vissac added his brand of cool bass lines with groovy style. The keys and synth, played by Blake Hart, were like the cherry on top laying down some sweet little licks and walks.

The band moved seamlessly between heavier songs, up-tempo party tunes and those more meditative ditties. Koi Child are a special and fresh voice in the music industry because they bridge the gap between hip hop, psychedelia and jazz — all while enjoying themselves.

Even with back to back shows in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney and minimal sleep, they still had enough energy to bring the house down with a taste of their newly released Kevin Parker-infused LP. "We're here to fuckin' party. We're here to get crunk," came the cry from frontman Patterson and they did not disappoint.

Eclectic: There is no other way to describe a Kirin J Callinan DJ set. The underground king moved from Frank Sinatra to Santana and Rob Thomas to Rage Against The Machine with characteristic disharmony.

Winston Surfshirt trickled onto the stage like honey with a string of originals and crowd favourite covers. They went from stride to stride, igniting the crowd and proving why they're one of the emerging wunderkinds of the Sydney R&B scene. 

Benjamin Witt filled the stage with a lively yet pensive performance. Armed with just a guitar, a loop pedal and a slew of effects, Witt built towards cacophony, filling the airwaves with meditative rhythms.