A rather well known song talks of manic mondays and in musical terms at least Monday 28th May was truly manic. In fact, the more appropriate word may be funky!
Live Review//We The Undersigned and The Skatelites
The streets of Liverpool were unnaturally hot but the buzzing Venue One of the O2 was hotter than that. Anticipation was high as We The Undersigned took to the stage in usual mass numbers. On this occasion they were a staggering eighteen players as they filled a stage half the size the one they filled at Threshold in February of this year. It's fair to say that if there was funkier night going on in the city I want to see the proof!
With an energy out of this world and a sound made from a funky cocktail of funk, hip-hop, Afro Beat and more they owned the stage. The bands trademark animal hats, bright colors, and funky costumes were all present and correct as well as a Sherlock Holmes (old school) look alike playing a whistle. But most importantly for a band as impressive as We The Undersigned they had an energy few can compete with. Like all the best music a quiet moment was not to be found as the bands multi-genre compositions unleashed the devil in the crowd as they danced maniacally to their space born groove. There was Stankh aplenty as they delighted with every solo , word or action. As anybody with a funky ear knows WtU are one of the best bands around and they make the perfect entre for the equally funky Skatellites!
The atmosphere heightened even further as the Skatelites took to the stage and launched into a set of epic proportions. The initial concept of funky was stretched to the limits in everybody's minds as they played song after song from their long repertoire. At times it felt like the walls would start dancing as furiously as the crowds behind me as the heat rose both metaphorically and physically. The countdown to the first and final notes was "10, 9, 8.... Freedom!" and if this was freedom then it was as sweet as anything I've previously heard. Songs came and went to mass cheers and included the super-funky 'Music is My Occupation' , 'At Last' and much more besides.
Now I said before this was a gig of epic proportions and in that sense this was a proper funk show. The grooves extended ever longer, ever more funky and if you believed the band when said that the final number was due... don't! After many promised finales the show finished with a flourish of audience dancing, extended jams and... the countdown to Freedom. It may well be that Liverpool will not see a show like this for quite a while and with a groove like the one it put in the audience's heads it's perhaps for the best.
If you missed this show... you missed something special!
Words and images by Sebastian Gahan.
Live Review//We The Undersigned and The Skatelites
With an energy out of this world and a sound made from a funky cocktail of funk, hip-hop, Afro Beat and more they owned the stage. The bands trademark animal hats, bright colors, and funky costumes were all present and correct as well as a Sherlock Holmes (old school) look alike playing a whistle. But most importantly for a band as impressive as We The Undersigned they had an energy few can compete with. Like all the best music a quiet moment was not to be found as the bands multi-genre compositions unleashed the devil in the crowd as they danced maniacally to their space born groove. There was Stankh aplenty as they delighted with every solo , word or action. As anybody with a funky ear knows WtU are one of the best bands around and they make the perfect entre for the equally funky Skatellites!
Now I said before this was a gig of epic proportions and in that sense this was a proper funk show. The grooves extended ever longer, ever more funky and if you believed the band when said that the final number was due... don't! After many promised finales the show finished with a flourish of audience dancing, extended jams and... the countdown to Freedom. It may well be that Liverpool will not see a show like this for quite a while and with a groove like the one it put in the audience's heads it's perhaps for the best.
If you missed this show... you missed something special!
Words and images by Sebastian Gahan.
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