Believe the hype! |
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| Flava
Flav and Chuck D fights the power. |
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Playing to an enthusiastic crowd, the groundbreaking Public Enemy
played the favourites and new material in their North East debut.
Review by Helen Turley.
Photographs by Jeremy Nordenfelt. |
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The launch
of Newcastle’s Evolution festival started with a bang with hip-hop
legends Public Enemy.
Appearing for the first time in the UK with a live band the venue
was waiting in anticipation for the arrival and Chuck D and his crew.
Frontman Chuck D and the guys entered the stage in their striking
individual manner.
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| Public Enemy: making shell suits trendy again. |
The leader
and co-founder of Public Enemy, Chuck D is best known for his booming,
powerful vocals, his forceful personality, and his ability to rap
about issues of race, rage and inequality.
Newcastle wasn’t disappointed, Chuck D was on top form.
The night began with a selection of newer and older tracks, the groundbreaking
music and uncompromising lyrics got the crowd in the mood.
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| It was hot in here... but this fan kept his
coat on all night. |
There
was a big selection of different types in the audience. From the die-hard
hip-hop fans to the younger students, who would have been mere babies
when these guys started their onslaught of political rapping.
They continued the set with some newer tracks. Highlights of the night
included the massive hit Bring The Noise, Whole Lotta Love and Shut
Em Down and many tracks from Public Enemy's recent album Revolverlution.
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| Heavy
bass beats played their part against the sounds of the decks.
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The guys
played for a good two and half-hours, though somewhere towards the
end of the set they seemed to go off route.
The political comments seemed to go into overdrive and the antics
towards a girl who joined them on stage were totally unnecessary.
They then tried to flog DVD’s from the stage.
That job should be left to the guys on the merchandise stalls.
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| The
crowd moshed and surfed all they could. |
These
pioneers of rap and hip-hop proved that, there’re still the baddest
and best rap act on the planet. Maybe not everybody’s flavour, but
I think everyone appreciated they witnessed a classic night.
Become a reviewer:
Could you write a music review for BBC Tyne? Email the team at tyne@bbc.co.uk.
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