Hilltop Hoods, Maverick Sabre, Trials, DJ Total Eclipse @ Entertainment Centre, Adelaide 20/2/2026
Hometown heroes the Hilltop Hoods are very much kings of the mountain and there is no force great enough to knock them off the top. Thirty years strong the Hilltop Hoods are very much hip-hop royalty with plenty of skin in the game. There is no dialling it in, there was no penny pinching on the production and this collective go full throttle from start to end. With a travelling posse of collaborators, special guests and a three-piece horn section plus all the trimmings of an arena show this was spectacular. Top that off with a new album “Fall from the Light” to tour on adds another dynamic to their performance. Even if you aren’t a fan you have to be in awe with how they go about it.
Right from seven o’clock there were no breaks in between or changeover between acts making it all the more compelling to either leave your spot or seat not knowing what you might miss. DJ Total Eclipse was spinning the decks getting the crowd hyped up and that momentum continued with rising star Trials and Maverick Sabre who both have massive futures ahead of them.
With the crowd hyped up and clock turning over at nine the footage of an empty venue taking shape with the Hilltop Hoods production heralded the beginning of the show. Once the curtain dropped and the opening sounds of Leave Me Lonely took over the Entertainment Centre was absolutely humming. It was that hot there was a steamy haze but that did not dull the energy by any stretch. MC’s Suffa and Pressure work all corners of the stage, no doubt getting more than their ten thousand steps for the day, and their energy is matched by what the fans gave back. DJ Debris was on the turntables and there is no question at all that his influence is significant. The confetti shower added even more colour to the opening song.
The strength of their back catalogue is clear when they are playing songs of the calibre of Chase That Feeling and Nosebleed Section so early in the set which really did move the room ‘front to back, left to right, and side to side’. There was an overwhelming sense of gratitude to be performing the first of two sold out shows at home in front of family and friends. The way that both Suffa and Pressure spoke you could feel and sense the emotional weight of what it means to be playing shows of this magnitude at home. The impact was seismic.
Pop powerhouse Nyassa notoriety is now on the rise having worked on their new album Fall From The Light and the first taste of that was on the title track which went down a treat. Montaigne made a guest cameo on 1955 followed by another new song The Gift with Marlon returning to more familiar territory on I Love It. Super talent Maverick Sabre returned to the stage on Won’t Let You Down and Live and Let Go. The revolving door of collaborators didn’t close their either with Adrian Eagle starring on Clark Griswold and the uber popular Illy dominating on Exit Sign. Absolutely incredible stuff!
One for the highlights reel was Don’t Happy, Be Worry bringing the crowd in to it singing a snippet of Bobby McFerrin’s Don’t Worry Be Happy extending those good time vibes even further. Higher was fantastic and mobile phone lights lit up the room on Through The Dark. Never Coming Home was emotive and powerful featuring Matiu Walters and later joined by Montaigne, Marlon Motlop and Adrian Eagle adding to that vibe at the end of the song. Rage Against The Fatigue was super cool and really well done with the Mr Sandman intro (The Chordettes) tying in brilliantly with the lyric “Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream (bom, bom, bom, bom), Make him the cutest that I’ve ever seen (bom, bom, bom, bom)” Gold!
Time literally whizzed by finishing the main set on “Rattling The Keys to the Kingdom” returning with an old gem in Still Standing topping of what already was a fantastic night with an extended version. Cosby Sweater which started with Suffa yelling “fuck Bill Cosby”. Illy, Rulla and Trials return adding more muscle and making this one to remember. What a show! There’s no signs of slowing down for the Hilltop Hoods who might have to play three or four nights at the Entertainment Centre next time.
Live Review By Rob Lyon