Illy - The Long Way Round Tour

Finnians, Port Macquarie was bordering on full capacity when we arrived for Illy’s The Long Way Round Tour….

We turned up in time for Yng Martyr to hit the stage and, as he does at all his appearances, he engaged with the crowd, establishing a bond with almost every person in the room as he delivered his brand of rhymes in both song and spoken word form. When his set was complete, as promised he came back out to mingle with fans handing out his special brand of souvenirs, a Yng Martyr beaded bracelet for all that asked for one while taking selfie after selfie again with anyone who wanted the request fulfilled

Illy and his band were almost thrust onto the stage with the to capacity numbers that filled the venue. In a testament to the Australian hip hop’s popularity, as he himself explained, artists usually tour when they have a new album out. He hasn’t, his last album release was in 2021 with ‘The Space Between.’ Illy just wanted to tour and re-connect with his fans.

Illy played his hits, all the songs the punters wanted to hear including Papercuts, Tightrope, Catch 22, his Hottest 100 Australian medley, his collab with Hilltop Hoods ‘Exit Sign’ and track with Indianna Massara ‘Hopeless’. etc but the thing that really stayed with me was his dedication to those who were dedicated to him. The Melbourne-based artist stopped his set when a scuffle broke out and some ladies were getting pushed against barriers as a result, not continuing until all was under control and he himself had asked if the females were okay. Illy’s fan care didn’t end there when a mere 10 minutes after his set finished he was back out to sign autographs, pose for photos and chat with anyone who was keen.

What Illy and Yng Martyr bring to an event is their ability to interact with their audience on a personal level. Let’s be honest, there are a lot of shows that happen and lots of musical acts come and go. What was different here and what will stay with people is the fact he and Yng Martyr made time for them, something that is quite rare with award-winning artists of his calibre.

If you haven’t seen either of these artists, we highly recommend you remedy that. This reviewer has seen both a few times now and I’m never disappointed by the effort they put in or the quality of their performance.

Big Thanks to Illy, Yng Martyr and their management for having us along and thankyou also to Finnians Irish Tavern for always looking after us.

Photo Gallery https://musicfestivalsaustralia.com/event-photos/illy-the-long-way-round-tour

By Michelle Symes

November 2023