Issue 53 / March 2015

42
Bido Lito! March 2015 Reviews
Blackalicous (Glyn Akroyd)
about them, BLACKALICIOUS are here in
Liverpool to shake the foundations of
the Kazimier and promote their fourth LP,
Emoni.
The night starts with DJ FORMAT playing
tracks that have audience members
grinding, dropping and salivating for
some live hip hop. Before we’re allowed
to get stuck in to the main act though,
we’re treated to an unexpected set from
VURSATYL, a rapper whose threads and
spectacles have a distinct look of Stevie
Kenarban’s Dad from Malcolm In The
Middle. Vursatyl’s a charming act, a skilled
lyricist with deep vocals, creating the
perfect hype for when Blackalicious’ MC,
Gift Of Gab, carefully makes it down those
high stairs to an eruption of applause.
There’s only one way Blackalicious can
get started and that’s with a vocal aerobics
exercise: you know it, the one recently
rejuvenated by a scarred-up wizard on
Jimmy Fallon. Alphabet Aerobics live is
likely to leave most with their mouths
wide open, and as the tempo increases
they only get wider. So many words, so
little time – all expertly delivered and
clearly enunciated.
Gift of Gab stands more modestly than
many hip hop acts. He doesn’t pour Wild
Turkey down fans’ shirts, he doesn’t have
a swagger that draws attention, just a
simple confidence that he is going to lay
shit down and you are going to listen.
He calls the crowd “Crazy ass Scousers”,
who love the small recognition of local
culture, and goes on to tell how “his man”
Chris (Durham-born Chris Tyler, one of
the night’s promoters) said “Liverpool is
ghetto as fuck”. Now, do that in a Geordie
accent and try not to grin.
Youthful hype-men Vursatyl and Jumbo
The Garbageman fill in when Gab takes
a break, but he’s not all puffed out. Gab
may not be as fit as he used to be, but
he’s still able to rock a Freddie-Mercuryat-Wembley
style “day-oh” intro to fanfavourite
Deception.
Make You Feel That Way and Swan Lake
receive warm receptions before Gift Of Gab
shows his true genius by launching into a
freestyle finish, the likes of which will be
hard to forget. Speaking at a million miles
an hour, his face jiggling with a G-Force
similar to what is experienced by fighter
jet pilots, Gab shows that, for a big guy,
he’s still lightning fast.
As the show reaches its climax, the
group encourage what turns out to be a
pretty awful stage invasion, cut short from
the moment it begins for fear of the decks
getting knocked over. Their hellraising