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| Rap’s statesman suffers
dodgy kit |
REVIEW - DJ Premier and Big Shug
Jazz Café
DJ Premier, left, and Big Shug |
YOU know when you end up at somebody’s house and the stereo
gets hijacked by somebody with taste completely at odds with yours,
but you’re forced to listen and you try to enjoy the songs
because to fight it is futile.
That’s how I felt at the DJ Premier gig this week.
Everybody else – the hip-hop headz – seemed to love it,
but I felt like I was stuck in a party with all the cool kids at
school, circa 1990.
DJ Premier, of rappers Gang Starr, has produced for some of the
biggest names in hip-hop – Nas, KRS-1, Biggie – but the
hired decks broke so many times I’m surprised Premier didn’t
storm off in a hissy fit. And despite his numerous calls for the
mic to be turned up, it was obviously still too quiet.
No one can say the long-serving producer doesn’t know where
his bread is buttered. He kept saying: “This is a party. I’m
gonna give you your money’s worth, ’cos you pay my bills.”
And quite right too, considering the leather-jacketed audience had
coughed up £20 for the privilege of hearing some select ‘cuts’
that you can probably only buy on import for twice the price of
the night. But still, I was left scratching my head: £20 to
watch a middle-aged man play his record collection.
Even Big Shug, new rapper prodigy of Premier, didn’t lift things.
An average rapper without that something special about his voice
that makes you listen – I preferred Premier’s gravelly
tones, even if he did spend the night saying: “Can I get a
f**k yeah?” This is fast becoming my number one irritating
phrase.
Twelve ladies’ farewell
PREVIEW - Emma Peel Fan Club
The Forum
Deirdre Cartwright from EPFC |
FOR the grandparents out there – yes it was that long ago
now – who remember the 1960s show The Avengers, the name Emma
Peel may mean something.
But for the rest of us not born in the psychedelic decade it means
asking your parents, who revealed Miss Peel was a female icon who
looked good in black leather catsuits, played by Diana Rigg.
And from it a band was born.
The Emma Peel Fan Club – nearly called the Joan Collins Fan
Club or the Pussy Galores – is made up of 12 middle aged women
who have been gigging for a decade, but are finally hanging up their
spangly outfits.
A show of dancing and covers from the era of The Avengers will cross
the Forum’s stage on Saturday night – for the last time
ever, alas all ye Peel fans.
• EPFC play The Forum on Saturday December 18. 8.30pm-1.30am.
£17.50 (£14.50 concs).
A good week for the grandparents
THE only truly exciting gig around is Hard-Fi but they’ve
sold out at every venue they’re performing at for about 10
years, so other than that looks like you’re stuck with some
Golden Oldies.
Blondie play Shepherd’s Bush, Status Quo are doing Wembley
Pavilion, The Human League are at the Forum, and the sexy man himself
Rod Stewart – who may have a new lease of life seeing he’s
a dad again – plays Earl’s Court. And then there’s
Ocean Colour Scene, who are also at Shepherd’s Bush, while
Duran Duran – the most hedonistic boyband of all time who are
still showing young pretenders how it’s done – are at
Earl’s Court.
Another Gap advert sellout, Joss Stone, is at Hammersmith, but again
it’s sold out so go and haggle with the tout.
CLICK HERE FOR LISTINGS |
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Don't waste your finest on relatives
DO you enjoy or endure Christmas? It isn’t only that we’re
bullied into spending money we haven’t got.
FULL STORY
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