On 27th June 2003 at 08:45 Anonymous 13 wrote...
Were Iration Steppas part of the night? How did that go?
Easy Now All Stars
Live at The Wardrobe on Thursday, 19th June 2003
I hadn't been warned what to expect when I arrived at the wardrobe. I guess I was expecting a gig, followed by a DJ set. The usual stuff. I was wrong. This wasn't so much a gig as it was a showcase of talent. The night was called 'Culture Clash' and that's exactly what it was.
Clear took to the stage and provided an unexpected break from the Hip Hop theme that was the staple aural diet of the evening so far.
With a kind of Indie rock sound, in the same manner as Ash, Placebo and Muse Clear provided melodic and lyrical rock to the meager crowd. The singer gained more confidence as the set went on and at times began to sound a little like Michael Hutchence, which made for an interesting sound!
After the efforts of Clear, the sound returns to Hip Hop. Complete with break-dancers from 'Breakers unified'. At first I wasn't too impressed. Two guys in baseball caps strutting round like pro G's. But once they started up, I couldn't keep my eyes off them. Usually if you see a guy breaking, it looks more like he's having a fit in time to the music. These guys did not look like that. These guys looked like they were on strings. They were unnaturally smooth, in perfect time to the music and defied gravity without breaking a sweat!
Next up, the band I'm actually here to see. I'm a little uncertain as to what to expect. With the definite hip hop vibe, coupled with the earlier indie rock stylings of Clear I fear a kind of Nu Metal mess of beats and guitars. And that's kind of what you get. But not in a bad, cheesy linkin park way. Heavy beats, crossed with a guitar playing the details rather than the tune. Two vocalists both singing and rapping mixed with a dose of funky bass and some divine scratching make for a pleasurable experience to listen to and watch. The band are clearly putting their all into the music but it doesn't come across as aggressive or messy. They are precise and accurate.
The short set from Capital State is followed by a set from the Easy Now All-stars, who seem to be the same band, just with different songs and more of a rap direction than the musically lead Capital State.
Tracks like 'She don't know' are beat laden and heavy whilst others are more funky and moody. There is definitely a feeling of a gathering rather than a gig going on. The All-stars work their way through a funky set and leave the stage to make way for the Dub and reggae styling's of 'Iration Steppa's' left to wind down the night in a mellow and comfy manner.