Last night the PinBoard crew rolled down to Cargo in Shoreditch to attend ILuvLive. This was my first ILuvLive experience and after last night, I will most definitely be checking it out again.
The lineup was serrrrrrious: Ms. Dynamite, Laura Izibor, Natty, Shystie, thecocknbullkid, Kenan Ball & Wretch 32. I gotta be honest, the selling point for me was Ms. Dynamite – but was pleasantly surprised when I heard Laura Izibor (who we recently featured) and Natty were also performing. That’s not to take away from the other awesome acts that took part.
We arrived around 9.30ish to pandemonium on the door. No queue, just a mass of human bodies trying to enter. It was long. I was not impressed. Especially seeing as how our tickets were on the door, waiting to be collected. Anyways, after about 20 minutes we got in and instantly noticed how packed out Cargo was. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that place that ram before.
Laura Izibor was on about 10 minutes after we arrived. She really is dope [not to mention my future wifey]. I actually don’t think hearing her on a CD or in one of her videos does her any justice. Her voice is incredible and extremely soulful. She was really, really well received too and probably got the biggest cheers (after Dynamite) than anyone else who was featured. It was cool to see others appreciate real soul music and respond to her in such a positive way. You know the London crowd is hard to impress, and this one was no different. She looked like she was having wicked time up there too.
Soon after Natty came onstage and did what he does best. I hadn’t seen him live previous to last night, but I gotta say, I was genuinely impressed. Admittedly, I overlooked this dude – I was sent his album a while back but never actually got round to listening to it, but I kept hearing his name…everywhere. So, I was glad that last night I was able to finally hear him perform. His blend of reggae, African beat, hip hop and soul really struck me. He had a good stage presence and I noticed all the ladies seemed to be under some type of spell while he was on. LOL. I definitely need to dig out his album and have a listen – as do you!
The headliner was up next. The one we had all been waiting for. It’s crazy to think I had never seen Dyna-mite-eeee live before. Straight up, this lady is a legend. I’m not entirely sure of how many people outside of the UK know about her, but locally she is the one. Aside from the ability of being able to MC any one under the table, her massively successful and critically acclaimed A Little Deeper earned her the Mercury Prize for Best Album in 2004.
Of course, like 99% of everyone in that place, I wanted to hear her ‘classic’ material, but she quickly informed us, that the night was going to focus heavily on her new material. I gotta say, I was a bit disappointed, but after the first track, I was cool. I don’t know the name of the song, but her sound has definitely matured and her vocals notably improved. Dynamite has never been the best singer in the world, but she uses what she has brilliantly. She writes songs that suit her vocals.
The second song started to fade in and made the crowd go a bit crazy. It was her most famous track to date – “Dyna-mite-eee” which to be honest, I’ve never liked and was comforted by the fact that she too hates it: “I gotta say, I really do hate that song, like…really, really hate it. To this day I will be in Tesco’s and someone will run up to me and sing “Dyna-mite-eee” – Ergh!. haha I shouldn’t say that, it is massively flattering”.
I got a couple clips of Ms. Dynamite performing a new track, which again, I don’t know the name of - but I only pressed the record button when she MC’d. During this track (part 2) she brought Bashy on stage to do a lil’ collabo:
PinBoard Footage:
Part #1:
[vimeo 2273288]
Part #2 [w/ Bashy]
[vimeo 2273286]
Aside from this, I was waiting for one track, actually two. I wanted “Sticky Boo” and her new track “Bad Gyal”. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the new one – not sure why, it was a bit sh*tty. However, we did get “Boo” which in essence – was enough. Dynamite brought out Faith SFX, the beatbox beast to provide that infamous beat while she took care of the mic. F*ck. It was mental. And of course, Speeakz got it all on camera for YOU. But wait, there’s more: She not only killed “Boo”, but also went in on her verse on So Solid’s legendary “They Don’t Know”. Oh. My. Daaaaze! < Yes. Daze.
PinBoard Footage:
“Sticky Boo” / “They Don’t Know” w/ Faith SFX
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3eHqPBSZbQ]
Yes. Yes. Yes! Dynamite killed it!! Smashed that place to pieces. “Sticky Boo” is the ultimate hype track. Even though the show was focused mainly on her new material, she proved that she still has what it takes and still has that talent we all know and love her for. She sang, freestyled and MC’d. Despite a seemingly deaf sound engineer and numerous technical difficulties, Dynamite delivered a solid performance and made sure everyone in that place knew she was back.
As I mentioned, the only bad thing I can say about her set was that I didn’t hear her new track, but that’s no biggie.
ILuvLive was a great night for those who…love live music! Lol It was a great showcase of British talent. Good music, good people and good, good vibes! Cargo is one of my favorite venues in London, I always enjoy going and their nights are always pretty serious.
Peace, Love & ILuvLive
Speeakz
Props to Shystie, thecocknbullkid, Kenan Ball & Wretch 32, who I missed because I was stupidly late. I heard they all did amazing too!
