Rating:

Houston-born, Los-Angeles based rapper Hyro Da Hero may have a stage name that does not inspire many people, however he is leading the way for a new era of rap-rock and demonstrated this to the crowd at The Waterfront, as part of his biggest UK tour to date.

Kicking off the night to a very small crowd were Astroid Boys, a very energetic five-piece who much like the headliner managed to mix their own blend of rap and rock, which was well received by the audience. They had good banter and a welcoming stage presence which got the crowd pumped for the rest of the evening.

Following on from this were Marmozets who stood out from the rest of the line-up in the fact that their energetic screamo was a far cry from the hip hop headliner. Although they suffered from poor sound, which meant the lyrics could barely be heard, they put on a great performance ending with half the band joining the audience at the climax of their set.

Finally it was time for Hyro Da Hero to take to the stage in front of the intimate crowd. Kicking off with fan favourites 'Ghetto Ambiance', 'Beam Me Up Scotty' and 'Dirty South Rock' Hyro managed to successfully blend rock and roll with hip hop with his infectious energy getting the crowd pumped further. He also had a lot to say about the state of hip hop these days in song 'Conversation with Hip Hop', speaking out against artists such a Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj- to great applause from the crowd. The set also managed to showcase Hyro's rapping talent, with part of the set including him rapping with his DJ whilst the rest of the band left the stage.

If you haven't tried it - it is hard to rap along live, which is why Hyro Da Hero relies heavily on audience participation and catchy choruses, and live the songs from debut album 'Birth, School, Work, Death' succeed in both.

If you ever get the opportunity, you should definitely check out this artist who is well deserving of a bigger stage and is headed for bigger and better things.