Live Review: Lethal Dialect At Whelan's

Appearing from behind Whelan's curtain, Lethal Dialect sauntered on stage to the applause of a jubilant audience. "How we feeling out there?" he exclaimed. Kicking off the evening with a brand new song, with the help of his soulful backing singers, Jes Kav and Nichola Hegarty, guitarists Stephen McHale and Stevie Darragh, keyboardist Eva-Jane Gaffney and drummer Ben Garrett.

Before he launched into his most recent release, 'New Dublin Saunter', he quipped "there's enough time for alcohol, get your fucking drinks and get down here." It was a passionate rendition of the song that was written in support of Dublin's bid to become the European Capital of Culture in 2020. The line, "cause I cant fathom why our own people hate to hear our own accent," was spit with such bile and venom, it was hard not to take notice.

Talking to Hot Press at the Bow St. Sessions in early February, LD was a little concerned about his 'crooning', as he described it, for his new material. He needn't have been. He was, at times, a little timid to force his vocals, however, standing next to Jes and Nichola, it would be intimidating for any seasoned performer.

"Loving the vibe here, appreciate everyone who came out," he admitted earnestly. Then something clicked and the dynamic of the night completely changed. As Lethal rapped 'Metamorphose' over the Marvin Gaye tune 'You're All I Need' - revamped by Method Man & Mary J Blige in 1996, the barrier between artist and audience evaporated, as the crowd pushed right up to the stage, and began belting out the chorus.

Dialect silenced Whelan's for an outstanding, venomous performance of 'GOD', before previewing another new track about Dublin crime stories from days long past. "What the fuck is life about, something real evil / these are real stories, real places and real people."

He was joined on stage by Browner for the song 'Outstr8', taken from classic album LD50 ll. This is something he should consider doing for future gigs. It hasn't always worked, especially for hip-hop performers, but doubling up on vocals, enabled him relax a little more when spitting his lines and added an extra punch to the delivery.

As 'Headstrong' played - one of the standout tracks from 1988, Lethal Dialect jumped into the crowd and was immediately encircled by the audience. He became the eye of the storm, the bull and the matador, as a legion of avid music fans roared raucously. It was a tremendous moment that cemented the relationship between a community and its soaring son.

There is a true sense now that Lethal Dialect is an artist evolving and expanding the boundaries of what he's capable of. This is a performer who isn't stagnant in a sound, but is constantly moving forward and there's little more you can ask of a musician.

Check out Eva Murphy's striking shots of Lethal Dialect at Whelan's here.