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Toots and the Maytals

A reggae legend was in town, an unmissable gig for any roots era fan. Toots have been going since the 6o's pioneering reggae as we know it, harmonising a blend of ska, gospel, soul and rock. With a record 31 chart topping hits in Jamaica, they were at one time overshadowing Bob Marley and his Wailers.

The expectant crowd were kept waiting whilst being teased with classic tunes. Toots came on wearing a rhinestone waistcoat, he still has bags of energy and that distinctive voice is as powerful as ever. The band rattled through hit after hit finishing most tunes with a burst of high energy ska. 'Monkey man', 'Bam Bam', 'Reggae got Soul', and 'Funky Kingston' all the hits were played

The sound was a bit iffy to say the least, with feedback from the mic being the most notable problem. And one point Toots threw his mic on the ground with frustration. An acoustic guitar caused more feedback mayhem, apart from that, it was spot on.



Concorde 2, 19 June
****

Roots rockers soundsystem

Germany has a healthy reggae scene! It's hard to imagine, but german language reggae does kinda work. Well to be honest, I think i prefer the mashups and bootlegs these guys do.


Download - Roots Rockers - Dogs Bollocks 03/31 - CLICK HERE

Dave Gorman America Unchained book reading.

Basically Dave Gorman's attempt to travel across the united States without visiting any big corporate chains, even for fuel, which proved to be his biggest challenge of the trip. Dave set out to explain to the sold out audience how the book is not a written carbon copy of the documentary. He was talked into filming the road trip by his manager. After setting the scene, he read an extract that was not featured on T.V. It was witty, well written and definitely convinced me that it would be worth reading.

It seemed fitting that this event was held and an independent venue promoted by a non-chain 'mom and pop' book shop, echoing many of the things Dave G set out to highlight and document before they disappear only to be replaced by cloned high streets.

Natty

It's quite rare to get some decent home-grown reggae these days. Sure Drum and Bass, Grime, Ragga, Dub step and other reggae offspring is represented, but Natty delivers a Reggae soul sound reminiscent of Jamaica’s early years. It’s not ground breaking stuff, but it’s good old fashioned reggae, with lyrics that apply to our place and times, like “Come on and give a hoodie a hug... don’ be shy ... they don’t bite”.

‘Cold Town’ and other tracks I had heard from his Myspace were especially well received, other ones felt a little bit like fillers. Fans of Finley Quaye or LSK should check him out. Having caught him play the great escape, I felt the urge to catch him again this time, a breath of fresh roots!

Komedia, 10 June
****

Thao & the Get Down Stay Down

It was a Balmy Saturday night, drinkers spilled out onto the pavements outside pubs, which might explain the less than busy Barfly. Thao is a natural front woman, with lashes of charm and heaps of talent, every word was sung with gusto, while kicking her legs to the beat in her super-cool cowgirl boots. The band was tight and made sounding great look easy!

A shame for the band that so few punters turned up, but it did make me feel smug and privileged to have been there. Part of me hopes this great little band remains a well kept secret, but they deserve to do well.

Barfly, Brighton, Saturday May 10
*****

Ben Esser

An original sounding lo-fi sound by a you singer from London. Expect to hear this quite a bit over the summer!