Issue 74 / February 2017

Reviews
Bido Lito! February 2017
29
in a Hammer horror film. Her attendants sit
below her and they are joined by a troupe
of lantern assistants as the four Fates make
their entrance: Chance takes the opportunity
to spunk silly string over the audience; Doom
is roundly booed before being defeated by
our flying hero, Captain Kronos, who counts
the New Year in before letting fly salvos of
confetti over a cheering, bouncing crowd. The
costumes are superb, Fortuna’s illuminated
veil and many pointed headdress the pièce
de résistance, and, whatever the venue, it
appears that the Kaz team can put on a show
mixing imaginative music and theatre with
a tongue-in-cheek sensibility that ensures a
great party. The dancefloor is jammed as the
hits keep coming: Sylvester feels mighty real,
Devo whip it good and Queen aren’t stopping
any time soon because Dipsy et al are having
a ball.
And after all that you get DOGSHOW. The
Crombie brothers’ drum and synth wizardry
ensures that the party continues with a
collection of irresistible beats and soaring
electronica accompanied by a dazzling
lightshow that turns the crystal backed stage
into an Escheresque checkerboard.
This year we walk out into the night without
the bittersweet smile on our faces. The new
Epoch has begun.
Glyn Akroyd / @GlynAkroyd
THE LAST WALTZ
Mellowtone @ Philharmonic Music Room
The sense of anticipation around this gig has
been building for weeks, echoing the striking
intro to The Last Waltz itself, and reaching a
crescendo tonight as the band ascend the
stage to whoops and cheers from the sold-out
crowd. The room is theirs. And they haven’t
even played a note.
Wordlessly, Dave O’Grady and SEAFOAM
GREEN – Adrian Gautrey (guitar/keys), Martin
Byrne (bass), Ben Gonzalez (drums), Muirreann
McDermott Long (vocals) Jez Wing (keys) – and
Dead Hedge Trio’s Rory Valentine (trumpet) go
straight into Up On Cripple Creek, O’Grady taking
the lead on vocals. Vocal duty then switches to
Gautrey, still sitting at his customised Roland
keyboard, for The Shape I’m In. He straps on a
Telecaster for The Night They Drove Old Dixie
Down, and pretty much stays centre stage all
night, delivering highlights including a fine
rendition of Neil Young’s Helpless and an
extended guitar solo on a spine-tingling It
Makes No Difference.
O’Grady, key orchestrator of this event –
along with the always dependable Mellowtone
– had explained before the gig that he
wanted to bring together a local community
of musicians to recreate that 1976 on-stage
The Last Waltz (Glyn Akroyd / @GlynAkroyd)
community when The Band took their final
bow, and this is achieved throughout, starting
with Paul Dunbar’s lively version of Who Do
You Love. One half of Clang Boom Steam guest
on Evangeline, with McDermott taking the
Emmylou Harris role and then giving a faithful
delivery of Joni Mitchell’s Coyote, before the
first half of the show ends with The Weight,
Rory Valentine giving it his all on trumpet.
When they return, O’Grady thanks us for
“keeping The Band’s music alive” with them
and reveals that Robbie Robertson has sent
him a message: “Knock ‘em dead!” – kudos,
guys. With that, they swing into a spirited
version of Ophelia, then Mystery Train, with
O’Grady on harmonica. Next, Dunbar returns
to the stage and completely owns it, delivering
a compelling, mesmerising performance of
Mannish Boy, mic clenched in one hand, the
other making a series of ever-wilder gestures
as he commands guitarist Gautrey’s playing.
Even the power supply seems overwhelmed.
Once restored, it’s time for another guest –
Edgar Jones, who gives Eric Clapton’s Further
On Up The Road the full blues treatment and
continues into Such A Night, with Jez Wing
outstanding on honky-tonk keys.
There’s a visual as well as an aural treat in
store next as the exotically-dressed Alessandro
performs Van Morrison’s Caravan, delighting
TLW geeks with his delivery of ‘radio’. Gautrey’s
sublime Forever Young, with its most lovely
of wishes, is a delicate stand-out moment
before Nick Ellis and the band rock into a
decibel-raising Baby, Let Me Follow You Down.
Finally, everyone crowds onto the stage for I
Shall Be Released. As they exit, the audience
collectively spring to their feet, shouting for
“More!”, and the band oblige with Don’t Do It,
guests slipping back in ones and twos to join
in. Another standing ovation and they’re gone.
The room breathes out, possibly for the first
time this evening.
Love for, and appreciation of, the original
event has been apparent throughout – the
band and their guests are all clearly delighted
to be on stage, honouring The Band and
their music, keeping TLW alive not through
performing a tribute night, but as a living,
breathing celebration of Americana’s finest.
“May you stay forever young” indeed.
Debra Williams / @wordsanddeeds
TALIB KWELI
L100 Cypher
Bam!Bam!Bam! @ 24 Kitchen Street
It’s safe to say that 24 Kitchen Street is
Liverpool’s home for hip hop. The start of 2016
saw the likes of Loyle Carner and Saul Williams
grace its stage and, throughout the year, we’ve
seen The Mouse Outfit and Pharoahe Monch
pull crowds into its bowels. It’s the place to be
for B-boys and girls. Now, as we stride into the
final month of what has been in many ways a
brutal year, the venue continues its winning
streak by playing host to a true legend of the
genre.
But before we get to that, the heady
vibrations created by basslines and beats serve
to warm the cold air on this December night
whilst the venue is filling up fast. Pretty soon
it becomes a case of deciding where to stand
and sticking to it; it’s plain to see how much
people want this.
There’s a legitimate crew in to start the
proceedings tonight. They go by the name L100
CYPHER. If there’s one thing that’s plain to see
from the outset with this bunch it’s that they
clearly adore what they do. There is, however,
a part of their act that comes across as being
inauthentic. While some of their performers
spit honest raps that are lyrically sophisticated
and deeply human, there are some who come
across as though they’re trying to fit an image
of a typical commercial, or ‘gangster’, rapper.
They are a talented crew who certainly make
their mark on those gathered here tonight,
although, with any group of performers, some
stand out far more than others.
After Cypher have left the stage the crowd
are given about forty minutes of audible treats
straight from the mad talents of No Fakin’ DJs.
Everything gets a spin, from A Tribe Called
Quest to The Roots and Common. It’s a lovely
mix and the vibes reach every corner of the
room.
And finally, here we are. The DJs have
switched their equipment and the touring
DJ has given a show of scratching skills and
shout outs to hype the crowd. Not that any
hype is needed; the crowd explodes into a roar
as soon as TALIB KWELI steps up on stage. He
starts the show with a heavy display of true
MC craft; there is no false pretence here as
this DJ/MC gives Liverpool a taste of pure,
distilled hip hop from the source; Brooklyn.
In between some of the songs in the set Kweli
doesn’t hold back on offering his opinions on
the state of hip hop as a culture, misogyny in
hip hop and a whole host of other discussion
points. This set is drenched in meaning and
discourse. He also pays touching tribute to hip
hop legends who have passed on: Sean Price,
J Dilla and, of course, Tribe’s Phife Dawg all
receive deserving tributes.
This set fuses the best of what’s old and
new. There are tracks from Kweli’s legendary
Reflection Eternal album as well as some of
his most recent, including Fuck The Money, the
title track from the rapper’s 2015 album. It’s a
deserving set for an adoring crowd.
Talib Kweli came from the home of hip hop
and brought the best with him. 24 Kitchen
Street couldn’t have done any better.
Christopher Carr / @ccar88
bidolito.co.uk