LAST WEEK IN LONDON
- Posted on October 8, 2007 4:34 PM
- 0 comments
LAST WEEK IN LONDON
Hip Hop Beats and Balham Treats
- Peter Coulston
My column is a little shorter this week because last week I was down with a cold and only managed two gigs. They were, however, quite diverse and began on Tuesday at The Jazz Café in Camden. Located on the Parkway it is very close to the tube which is, of course, on the Northern Line. The show opened with the Yes King Soundsystem fronted by co founder Rhys Adams. Along with producer Mark Rae, who was not there, Rhys has produced a very entertaining show combining Hip Hop, Funk and Ska performed by some great singers, rappers and a brass section. The audience loved it and the set included their own take on Gil Scott Heron’s “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”. The main act had a few of us a bit confused, as Waseed turned out to be a DJ, the sort that you usually get after midnight when the live acts have all gone home and people still want to dance. True, he was a top of the line DJ, but a DJ all the same. The ladies didn’t seem to mind so much and took the opportunity to dance earlier than usual, but many of the guys appeared less than impressed. I left at 11pm, just as he began playing Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean”.
BACKSTAGE PASS VERDICT: The Yes Kings may not be of Royal blood but they reigned superior on this night. A must see for those who like their beats thick, fast and live.
My other foray in the night time world of music was on Thursday to The Bedford in Balham, that palatial home of fine but free entertainment. Located on Bedford Hill it is a stone’s throw away from Balham rail and Northern Line Station. Tony Moore was our excellent host and treated us to two of his new songs. We also enjoyed the beautiful voice and compositions of Molly Beanland, that can be heard on myspace and her album “The Drawing Of Time”, which is released in the New Year by Island Records. Accompanied by herself on piano, she performed “Snow On The Roses”, “I Know What Its Like” and “Hear Me Out”, among others, to perfection. Karim Fanous is certainly a force to be heard in the pop/rock market, with his strong songs and professional delivery. He is on myspace and has an album out on KKN Records called “Stir Crazy”. Take a listen to the title track as well as the darker “Perfume” and the very catchy “Easy Come, Easy Go”. John Kenzie is from Manchester and delivers a great line in soul and acoustic blues. Funky vocals and guitar, which you can hear on myspace on jazzy tracks like “No More Revelations”. The only band on the bill was Kin, which I could not find on the web. That’s because they do not play together regularly; so, we were very privileged to see this group of solid professionals in one band. The singer Keith Morrell now works with Cliff Richard, the guitar and vocals man Nigel Jenkins was on all Gerry Rafferty’s early stuff (including Baker Street) and now writes film music, the bass player Mark Smith is with the Waterboys and the drummer Neil Wilkinson is with Van Morrison. Pop royalty indeed, and the fantastic bluesy rock that they performed did nothing to mar their reputations. I am keeping in touch with these guys and will try to let you know where you can see them next. In the meantime try to stay healthy, unlike me, and see you next week.
www.yeskingrecords.com
www.myspace.com/yeskingrhysadams
Tags
Jazz Cafe, Yes King Soundsystem
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