Action Bronson isn’t humble. In his tracks he’s “gorgeous,” “popular,” and “wonderful” which is probably why the thought of him succeeding “makes a lot of people nauseous”. But without the commitment to the belief that he’s a lion or a stallion, on stage at least, he’d be nothing. That’s not an insult, it’s the most enthralling thing about his character and it’s that absolute belief of his worth and his craft that makes his live show captivating and intense from start to finish.

From the minute the NYC chef and rapper walked on stage to Brand New Car from last year’s Mr. Wonderful he was like a lion unleashed from a cage or a roaring Harley Davidson. He threw water from a water bottle with a fierce strength and hit every word of the track as if the veins in his neck were about to break free. It was immediately clear that Bronson wasn’t someone who was going to run through the motions and then get going. He was going to give anything and then more.

One after another he rolled off tracks from Mr. Wonderful. Hitting us with Terry and Actin’ Crazy in the opening stages of the set and sending a raucous Sydney crowd mental. Lines like “Smoke good, fuck, eat, drink/Drive nice car, wear all green mink,” became somewhat of a mantra for everyone there and even sounded way more palatable with the man standing right in front. Rap is and always has been a lot of talk but Bronson seems to genuinely live or possess everything he says. Plumes of smoke coming from both the crowd and the stage at times masked Bronson as he lit up throughout even passing it on to front row punters. “Here, take my spliff,” he said at one point.

Bronson is so larger than life up there on stage that he often seems unapproachable but he’s got a genuine love for his fans and did plenty of things throughout the set to break-down that persona and connect. He recognised someone’s tattoo of him and thanked him with a spliff, he took time out to sign hats and shirts and, best of all, he gave it his all making it feel like this was the most important show of his life.

The cuts from Mr. Wonderful drew the biggest reaction throughout the show, sounding grandiose housed by the vintage decor of the Enmore Theatre. The Rising‘s resounding choir was goosebump raising while Falconry‘s dizzying beat married perfectly with the smoke-heavy atmosphere. At one point he proudly let the crowd know that he was 140kgs and he used every kilo for a forceful performance throwing himself around the stage and destroying water bottles with frightening force.

Bronson was an unbelievable hype man for himself mixing charisma and unwavering energy to make sure that even on the lesser-known cuts, like the ones with Canadian rapper and support act Meyhem Lauren, that the crowd still went nuts. At the show’s height all he really needed to do was open his mouth and the crowd would begin to mosh again. It was clear that the room was mostly made up of dedicated fans when he started dropping tunes for his OGs from Blue Chips like the epic 9-24-11. 2013’s Strictly 4 My Jeeps showcased Bronson at his hardest spitting relentlessly over a thumping, vintage beat.

There was not one lull in the show but it was Bronson’s finishing punches that really took it to another level. He ripped his shirt before launching into a soulful acapella chorus of Baby Blue, arguably his most successful song to date. The chorus of that track is a knockout and whether he gave it to us with or without the beat it resonated perhaps stronger than any moment throughout the set. The revved engine of a Harley then echoed around the room as he loaded up Easy Rider – a truly speaker-shattering moment. Appropriately he waved and left the stage as if he was disappearing into the metaphorical horizon that the song so beautifully imagines.

He entered the stage only minutes later shirtless to the Tracy Chapman-sampling Amadu Diablo, playfully teasing the idea of an encore with the lyric “give me one reason to stay here and I’ll turn it right around”. The crowd gave him more than just one reason to stay laying down thundering screams. He obliged for two more tracks before exiting. He’d left an incredible mark living up to every bit of hype surrounding him. If you didn’t understand Bronson’s charm or found him nauseating, there’s no doubt his live set would’ve changed your mind. He gave everything he had and peppered in with charisma and intensity that made for something spectacular.

All snaps by Ben Čvoro.