Horrorshow History is a recurring theme throughout Horrorshow's album. Solo, whose real name is Nick Bryant-Smith, admits being profoundly influenced as a lyricist by touring and his recent studies, especially books such as Bruce Elder's Blood on the Wattle and Chloe Hooper's The Tall Man: Death and Life on Palm Island. ''I've started to turn my gaze outwards and look for things in the outside world that really matter, and realised I have a platform to speak,'' he says. ''These issues are the things we should be spending more time reflecting on and discussing.'' The album also includes a deeply personal song, Down the Line (Man's Song), a tribute to Bryant-Smith's grandfather that includes a recording of his late grandmother. ''When my granddad died I started to reflect on his influence,'' he says. ''I realised that in a lot of ways, even though my life growing up as an inner-city kid has been completely different to his life growing up in the Depression on a farm, a lot of the things he was passionate about - poetry and singing and storytelling - have been passed down to me by my dad. I wanted to capture that story.

''A lot of young people - my friends and peers - maybe don't make enough time to acknowledge foundations of our family histories … [like] our grandparents' generations fighting in world wars. Those are massively important events and I think it's easy to take them for granted. I wanted to make something to acknowledge that history on a grander scale.'' Horrorshow hasn't played Down the Line to an audience yet, but Bryant-Smith expects it will be difficult: ''I'm sure there will be a good deal of emotion playing that one live. But a lot of people have been telling me they relate to that song, so I'm looking forward to performing it.'' As for hip-hop's reputation - whether it be the boastful faux-gangsta posturing of contemporary American rap or the fun-but-disposable hip-hop so often heard in Australia - Bryant-Smith believes the genre is stereotyped too often. ''Especially the way it is portrayed in mainstream media [through] some of the artists that cut through and get a lot of attention; [they] definitely have played their part in cultivating that reputation. ''As I see it, being a passionate hip-hop fan and someone who has loved this culture since I was 13, hip-hop places a big emphasis on tradition and understanding what's come before you, and respecting that … and that you have a part to play in handing that down to people … about acknowledging history.''

Bryant-Smith acknowledges the strong political messages often heard in the early days of Australian hip-hop - and still heard with enduring acts such as the Herd - are rarer as many younger artists have reached for a more formulaic sound. ''That's to do with the kind of songs that cut through and get played on the radio … There is a formula that has developed. ''Sometimes people want to put on a fun party track and rock out. I want that, too, but I definitely think as musicians and MCs in hip-hop we have an opportunity to really say something and have our voices and opinions heard by a large group of people. ''I feel some degree of privilege and responsibility to be able to do that, and that's a common thread at Elefant Traks. It's a label run by people who really care about the world and other people who care about Australia. And that shines through in the music and the messages that artists want to get out there.'' Horrorshow perform at Baroque in Katoomba on September 18, and the Metro Theatre, Sydney, on September 20. Jimblah supports them throughout the tour. Horrorshow's album, King amongst Many, is out now.

Melbourne dates include:

