Live Review: Saskwatch, Naughty Rappers Collective, Jim Lawrie - Oxford Art Factory

The nine-piece soul pop extravaganza that is Melbourne's Saskwatch treated the OAF to a night full of good vibes on Saturday. Before the jiving started though, those wise enough to arrive early had the good fortune of seeing two very diverse support acts.
Jim Lawrie, no longer grizzly, serenaded the half-full room with his heartfelt folk tales. His is a voice not only captivating but also full of emotion. He can sing so sweetly that the listener may be fooled into thinking his lyrics are of a similar sentiment, only to realise there is a darker depth on tracks such as the beautiful Spare Change – “The only time I reach for you, I'm desperate.”
Next up was the biggest surprise of the night, the Naughty Rappers Collective (NRC). Touching on subjects from masturbation to “pimpish behaviour”, it's easy to take NRC as a joke outfit, but they're a group endowed with some legitimate hip hop prowess. Scattered with members from Fishing, Richard In Your Mind and SPOD, do yourself a favour and follow them around wherever they play next.
A Saskwatch gig always guarantees a boogie, thanks to a killer horn section and the powerhouse that is leading lady Nkechi Anele. Playing songs off their acclaimed second album Nose Dive, they had the whole room moving and shaking almost as much as Anele herself. Tracks like I Get Lonely and new single A Love Divine were standouts, the latter showing a larger rock influence than early material, and it suits them. Encore saw their brilliant cover of Jagwar Ma's Let Her Go, ending what was already a fabulous evening on a high note; somewhat of a theme for this fantastic live act.