Live hip-hop generally gets a bad rap, and it’s not difficult to see why. Your correspondent gave the game up after witnessing The Beastie Middle-Aged Men damp squib all over last year’s Electric Picnic. Three aul fellas shouting at each other? You could get that in your local.
You wouldn’t have much trouble finding seven young fellas in GAA clobber yelling at each other down your local either, but thankfully, Super Extra Bonus Party seem to have curtailed much of the contrived lunacy that has often undermined their live shows. Where once they felt the annoying obligation to remind the audience that they were indeed Super Extra Bonus Party at least a dozen times on every tune, they now appear more concerned with delivering such delicately layered creations as ‘Drone Rock’ and ‘Everything Flows’ with business-like efficiency. But even those who remain resistant to SEBP’s musical charms will be glad to see they’ve ditched the schtick.
They may well have taken their cues from their good friend Rollie Pemberton. Pemberton, aka Cadence Weapon, has never had a problem curbing the clichés. Tonight he projects his voice and rhymes through the mix, while remaining genial and charismatic. When he collaborates with the Boners on ‘In Search Of Youth Crew’ it sounds excellent too. A good night, all told.