Raiza Biza and Nooky Launch

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Review: Raiza Biza “Bygones” and Nooky “Junction Court” Launch

Both reflecting the culturally hidden parts of their respective cities, Raiza Biza and Nooky got personal and reflective at a recently upgraded Waywards on Friday night (26 October 2019).

Raiza Biza kept the vibes going through the night after the openers, channeling a jazz rap energy in similar veins to Kaiit or Billy Davis. Through his songs and his mid-set chats he was pretty clear on his Rwandan and New Zealand background, asking the crowd if anyone had ever been to Hamilton (the best response being “I’ve been to New Zealand). One of the highlights of the night was Raiza Biza sharing the stage with illustrious rising Sydney rapper B Wise, performing ‘S&D’ and ‘Funds’ from Biza’s latest album “Bygones.” It was a pretty cool sight to see and the crowd was pretty energised by B Wise’s appearance (he also stuck around and kept the energy going on the floor throughout the night). On top of this, Biza can seriously rap. It’s rare to see such strong live rapping; Biza rarely missed a beat. Closing on one of his most popular tunes, ‘Wassup,’ the crowd felt pretty relaxed and pleased as his set came to a close.

Nooky flipped all that upside down, playing a set of (almost) consistent bangers, jumping around on stage and repping Nowra to the fullest. He especially focused on some of the absolute slappers from his recent EP “Junction Court,” yet he mellowed it out soon after with ‘Nowa Nowa’ in dedication to his late friend Lucas; encouraging the crowd to reminisce on some of their lost ones too. He promptly ditched the more depressed feel, jumping into the crowd and onto Waywards’ new PA system, keeping up the intense atmosphere he’d built throughout the night. This was followed up by asking for the crowd to hop up on stage and mosh alongside him. The night ended on such a fantastic high, it made it slightly difficult to return to the real world of King Street.

Written by Oscar Hoare.

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