Half-way through this electric gig at one of Brixton’s hottest venues, the fifty-something and long-lasting Chuck D exclaimed, “I don’t smoke weed people, I smoke stages,” which certainly had a few tongues wagging at the venue, as there were certainly folk present that liked to partake in the former of the two smoking options.
As for smoking stages, Public Enemy certainly kept their fans satisfied and mobilised, for the first part of the gig feeling that I was amongst a boxing crowd, with many fists in the air, and much to other fans’ dismay, phones.
Playing classics such as Bring the Noise, Don’t Believe the Hype and Fight the Power, certainly satisfied the punters, although the guy stood next to me was more affected by the fact that the male to the front of me was wearing a t-shirt with a rope printed on the back, which really confused this poor Public Enemy fan, adorned in tattoos, enjoying the gig a little too much, but then it has probably been a while that I have been at out with the Brixton crew at a Saturday venue.
There was clearly a militant vein that was diffusing from the stage further back into the crowd, even those standing on the periphery. Arms raised, fists clenched, photos taken, and a strong will to get further in, immersing oneself into the heart of the crowd. Having never seen them live, it was impossible to anticipate the nature of this gig, although knowing the obvious tracks, and their politically-charged lyrics, does give me a small suspicion that not only Brixton will be the ideal borough to back this performance, but that the smell of aberration will linger fruitfully amongst the crowd.
Chuck D, Flavor Flav, DJ Lord were all present, and on what seemed like top form at the Electric Brixton, flouncing their high-level energy on stage throughout a suffocating, London’s summer’s eve. Flavor Flav’s well-versed and resoundingly loved “yeah boys” were appreciated by the crowd. In fact, a punter from my neck of the woods, originally, but further West and further South (near Glasgow) proclaimed to have seen them five times live, with this being the “most immense.”
Bouncing energy definitely propelled from the artists to the crowd, all determined to give it their all for these musicians consistently reminding us that they are in their fifties, starting up back in 1982. Despite being artists that were definitive to the hip hop genre, radicalising their lyrics with content about the sociological issues dogging the black community, predominantly the crowd were die-hard for the most part, inhaling the political strands of their music, lying over the samples, sirens, and other sounds Lord cut-and-pastes to create their distinctive sound.
It is not surprising to see them touring after their double album release a couple of years back; however, the effect that they tend to have on their fans is somewhat downplayed by a safety message prior to their arrival on stage, aiming to set the audience in positive mode. There is still a sense of deviance (they are after all Public Enemy fans) that lingers, and many are clearly witnessing them for the first time, or under the impression that this may be one of their last opportunities to see them live. Phones filming, snapping stills, there is the relentless air in the crowd of documenting this gig, and plenty of heathens enlivening the gig. With Lord providing us with an aural tickling of scatched vinyl, Chuck D proclaiming the political lyrics, dancers in military uniform slowly mimicking the stances, the marches, Flavor Flav unleashing our green monsters with his unruly energy, this show was long overdue, and to most no disappointment.
Photo by David Wong
