March 17, 2008
It may seem odd to begin by reviewing the audience rather than the piece, but it was depressing to see how few people had turned out. Granted, this might have been down to shocking administrative incompetence – tickets on the door were advertised at the wrong price, the event started an hour later than advertised and we were directed to the wrong stage on entry. However, in a city which prides itself as being highly cultured, one would have thought that an eclectic combination of African drumming, jazz and hip-hop would have been a mouthwatering attraction.
As it was, the venue was only about a quarter full. Those that did attend, however, were lucky enough to be treated to a performance of extraordinary energy. One thing they did get right was to eschew seating in favour of a clear dance floor. This was as much an ‘art event’ as a gig, and from Dark’s asides between songs it was clear that they had played a lot of venues where chin stroking was more the order of the day than foot stamping. The band were obviously delighted to see most people throwing themselves into the beat with uninhibited abandon.
While proving an amiable guide to proceedings, Dark had the modesty to allow his star performer Chief Udoh Essiet, ex bandmate of the legendary Fela Kuti, free reign. Essiet energised proceedings magnificently – occasionally abandoning his drums altogether simply to dance at the front of the stage and engage the audience in a little enthusiastic call-and-response. Behind him, VJ Nathaan Jones was cutting images of black culture heroes such as Malcom X and Patrice Lumumba with looped footage of band members, but it seemed a slightly unnecessary addition when you had such a compelling performer live onstage.
Thas was not, however, an evening containing anything particularly radical. If there was one disappointment here it was that the huge range of musical influences had been fused almost too harmoniously. Certainly the hip-hop elements were closer to Digable Planets than Public Enemy, and putting something a little edgier and more aggressive in the mix might have kept proceedings even further above the ‘tastefully ethnic’ jazz-funk they occasionally threatened to become. I, however, was too busy leaping around like a dervish to worry about that too much until later, and on those grounds I’d say the evening was as much of a success as it could have been.
As it was, the venue was only about a quarter full. Those that did attend, however, were lucky enough to be treated to a performance of extraordinary energy. One thing they did get right was to eschew seating in favour of a clear dance floor. This was as much an ‘art event’ as a gig, and from Dark’s asides between songs it was clear that they had played a lot of venues where chin stroking was more the order of the day than foot stamping. The band were obviously delighted to see most people throwing themselves into the beat with uninhibited abandon.
While proving an amiable guide to proceedings, Dark had the modesty to allow his star performer Chief Udoh Essiet, ex bandmate of the legendary Fela Kuti, free reign. Essiet energised proceedings magnificently – occasionally abandoning his drums altogether simply to dance at the front of the stage and engage the audience in a little enthusiastic call-and-response. Behind him, VJ Nathaan Jones was cutting images of black culture heroes such as Malcom X and Patrice Lumumba with looped footage of band members, but it seemed a slightly unnecessary addition when you had such a compelling performer live onstage.
Thas was not, however, an evening containing anything particularly radical. If there was one disappointment here it was that the huge range of musical influences had been fused almost too harmoniously. Certainly the hip-hop elements were closer to Digable Planets than Public Enemy, and putting something a little edgier and more aggressive in the mix might have kept proceedings even further above the ‘tastefully ethnic’ jazz-funk they occasionally threatened to become. I, however, was too busy leaping around like a dervish to worry about that too much until later, and on those grounds I’d say the evening was as much of a success as it could have been.