In this heathen age it’s not often a gig is put back out of respect for the Sabbath. But devout Hasidic Jew Matisyahu is in town and we’ll wait until midnight - when Sabbath has ended – to be wowed by this fast rising star. Dressed in a black gabardine, Jewish hat and with his long curling beard reaching to his chest, Matisyahu looks anything but the hottest new talent in reggae. As he strides on to the stage, band in tow, there’s a certain novelty factor which pre-empts watching a strict orthodox Jew prowl the stage to dancehall reggae whilst unleashing a fiery blend of ragga-muffin rap.
To lean too heavily on such quirks however, would be to do this epic talent no small injustice. And make no mistake, Matisyahu is a sensational talent. His current album Youth entered the US billboard charts at number four and is rapidly proving a word of mouth best seller this side of the pond. It’s easy to why. The fusion of hip-hop and reggae make for a showpiece of chants, roots and swaying party-time soul. Tonight, ‘Sea To Sea’ shuffles along underpinned by a laid back groove. ‘Beat Box Song’ sees Matisyahu turn human beat box and ignites the audience, while stand out ‘King Without A Crown’ lifts the roof off beginning as it does with a preacher’s howl before slipping into a rising reggae beat powered by Matisyahu’s incredible rap.
Sporadically, hints of the rapper’s ethnic background pepper the hour-long set through Hebrew phrasing and mid-eastern traces of sound. Crucially however, over-indulgence of such cards is avoided, and this lends Matisyahu greater crossover appeal. Only ‘Jerusalem’, with its shades of political lyricism arms the cynical and doctors the set. It’s unlikely he’ll find favour amongst Palestinian sympathisers.
Politics aside however, this is a sparkling set of future dancehall gems from an enriching talent. Watch him grow.