The Herbaliser - Edan & Paten Locke - Kutmah - Live Music Review in Bristol
Posted on: 2015-10-15
Our rating:
The first time I heard of them was the ?Something Wicked This Way Comes? album ? but live they are something else, really uplifting stuff indeed ? what a great way to spend a Saturday night. Good vibes were in high quantity on this night.
Bristol was buzzing on the night of Saturday 3 October 2015 so wandering down to the O2 Academy to see some Hip-Hop seemed like a good shout!
Kutmah from Brighton was up first playing to a largely empty room – this didn’t seem to phase him at all. He was getting into the beats he was pumping out, serving up a hypnotic mish mash, the guy I was with referred to him as ‘avant garde’ which was probably a fair description. At times he sounded like he was cranking out themes to an 80’s detective series, and then an 80’s slasher movie – abstract but completely compelling stuff – throwing ‘Witness’ by Roots Manuva in there was always bound to get a few heads nodding!
Edan and Paten Locke were sheer talent. The 2 of them filled the huge stage with personality and as they progress through the set it becomes more evident that you are in the presence of hip-hop enigmas. They interchange while rapping at speed, interchange behind the decks, an acoustic guitar and glockenspiel come out during a couple of tracks and before ‘I see Colours’ they deliver a completely inspiring and moving speech about appreciating life and generally being happy.
During one track, Paton Locke hands out flowers to the ladies in the audience, it’s different to anything I’ve seen at a hip hop show but everyone was getting into it. The venue had filled out a bit by this time, from the opening moments where they had had namechecked Cliff Burton from Metallica and John Bonham from Led Zeppelin, to the closing seconds, they were an extremely interesting group indeed. If I was being critical as a reviewer I would say the music was too low in the mix at times, some of the beats lacked a bit of ‘kick’ to them.
Herbaliser from London have been around since the early 90’s, so they’ve been around the block! They enlisted Rodney P to add a bit of spice to the live setup for this gig - and they really got the party started. Again this was a unique gig through and through. Visually this looked great - Rodney P dipped in and out and really complimented the set and added an extra layer - on record they sound good, and the first time I heard of them was the ‘Something Wicked This Way Comes’ album – but live they are something else (they have released 2 live albums thus far), really uplifting stuff indeed – what a great way to spend a Saturday night, good vibes were in high quantity on this night.
4/5
Reviewed by Nick Clay for 365Bristol - the leading events and entertainment website for Bristol.
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Born and raised in the suburbs of Swansea, Jimmy moved to Bristol back in 2004 to attend university. Passionate about live music, sport, science and nature, he can usually be found walking his cocker spaniel Baxter at any number of green spots around the city. Call James on 078 9999 3534 or email Editor@365Bristol.com.
