seeing grime live is almost always disappointing

[ambrose]

i thought skepta and jme were the best performers ive seem at a grime night, at 333 the other month. essentials were also good and working with the crowd etc. to be honest, as ive never experienced anything else, the chaos of >15 people on stgae, grabbing the mic, jarring constant rewinds etc etc seem as much part of a grime show as hearing a new tune or something. PAs are generally so bad that you cant heard any of the MCs bars anyway (eg the Fix Up in a leeds strip club on friday - cant tell you what virus syndicate were like cos i could barely hear anything). i kinda of enjoy it, its like me complaining going to a gabber night and complaining that the musics too fast.

that doesnt mean a grime night has to be like that but thats just what it is to me, and what i expect if i go to one.

dunno what it used to be like at bigger raves eg eskimo dance/sidewinder cos i never went

 

[simon silverdollar]

"i'm looking to turn our sets into stage shows and concerts".

-JME, on that new track 'don't chat to me'.

 

[petergunn]

T
The first is the duality of the music. It has a split identity as a continuous set of instrumental electronic dance music mixed by a DJ with an MC adding to it, but also as an artist driven scene where the MCs are the known personas and the DJs are simply providing a backdrop to their lyrics.

hmmm, very good point... where the "grime is just garage" and "grime is UK hip hop" arguments butt heads in the music itself... interestiing...

i have to say that it must be said that live hip hop usually sucks as well... Kool Keith has many songs about this (funny, b/c he is one of the worst offenders, i.e. sometimes he puts on an amazing show, sometimes he performs SITTING DOWN), but basically alot of the gripes people talk about this (having 3x as many homeboys and hangers-on onstage than bandmembers) were invented by hip hop... alot of the time if you see hip hop in a club, you're getting like 30 minutes from the headliner (sometimes just their Hit single, if it's a ghetto club), with way too many hype man shouting over the best lines... i've seen pretty famous people rap over the VOCAL versions of their records... as well as coming onstage 2 hours later than scheduled... add this to the usually expensive ticket price, i hardly ever bother going to see hip hop shows anymore...

 

[tom pr]

hmmm, very good point... where the "grime is just garage" and "grime is UK hip hop" arguments butt heads in the music itself... interestiing...

i have to say that it must be said that live hip hop usually sucks as well... Kool Keith has many songs about this (funny, b/c he is one of the worst offenders, i.e. sometimes he puts on an amazing show, sometimes he performs SITTING DOWN), but basically alot of the gripes people talk about this (having 3x as many homeboys and hangers-on onstage than bandmembers) were invented by hip hop... alot of the time if you see hip hop in a club, you're getting like 30 minutes from the headliner (sometimes just their Hit single, if it's a ghetto club), with way too many hype man shouting over the best lines... i've seen pretty famous people rap over the VOCAL versions of their records... as well as coming onstage 2 hours later than scheduled... add this to the usually expensive ticket price, i hardly ever bother going to see hip hop shows anymore...

I remember reading about a Ghostface show this year, I think in NY, where he didn't come on til four hours after advertised - the support act got pelted with bottles, his crew started throwing them back into the crowd and it all kicked off.

 

[Asger]

"i'm looking to turn our sets into stage shows and concerts".

-JME, on that new track 'don't chat to me'.

How does people feel like about this? Isn't grime a rave thing, would grime work at stage shows or concerts?

I've personally only been at very few grime show (I live in Denmark...) - Kano, Virus Syndicate at Roskilde Festival and Jammer, Ears, sheen and matt shdtk here in Aarhus where I live. (shows which would probably be categorized as stageshows)

All the shows were a blast, also the one in Aarhus even though we were only two guys who knew anything about grime and therefore only about ten guys dancing (the remaining eight being mates who I had hyped into coming - playing murkelman about 20 times in the hours leading upto the show). That show was at a three day electronica festival and the rest of the audience were bare indie heads.

I wouldn't exactly call any of the venues "raves", but I've always fancied the “rave atmosphere” more than the feeling at concerts, especially with high-energy music such as grime - it needs to be intimate!(?)

 

[Logan Sama]

I think Grime shows need to be more organized. People need to be performing their singles/releases because they need to learn how to engage an audience and perform tracks live as an artist.

BUT I think it is very important to retain that which keeps Grime unique, and that is the incredible high energy sets we do in raves where the mixing is fast, the tracks are jump up madness and the reloads are coming in for big hooks as a big bunch of MCs all mob the stage and tussle for the mic.

 

[Grievous Angel]

I think Grime shows need to be more organized. People need to be performing their singles/releases because they need to learn how to engage an audience and perform tracks live as an artist.

Yes. The best grime show I've seen was Dizzee, with Wiley and a few others in supprt. He tore the fucking roof off. The energy was incredible, really focused. He had a huge crew with him -- but they were all kept off-stage, so they could contribute to the vibe without interrupting the flow. But as you say, he's an artist and he's focused.

BUT I think it is very important to retain that which keeps Grime unique, and that is the incredible high energy sets we do in raves where the mixing is fast, the tracks are jump up madness and the reloads are coming in for big hooks as a big bunch of MCs all mob the stage and tussle for the mic.

Less like a hip-hop show, more like a (good) dancehall show.

 

[Raw Patrick]

This sounds like an exciting Grime show:

A TEENAGER was knifed in the back at a rapper's after-show party in Liverpool.

The 17-year-old local youth is seriously ill after the attack at the Bar and Grill in Bold Street during a party for gangsta rapper Lethal Bizzle.

Another 17-year-old and an 18-year-old, both from Liverpool, were also stabbed when locals clashed with the performer's entourage at 12.45am on Monday.

Lethal Bizzle, who had a top-10 hit in 2002 as a member of More Fire Crew, performed at the Barfly club in Seel Street on Sunday before heading to a private party.

Police believe the two groups began arguing inside before the row spilled out onto the street.

Six Merseyside youths and three youths and a girl from London are still being questioned on suspicion of assault and public disorder.

Police sealed off much of Bold Street and are still searching for the weapon, believed to be a knife.

A spokeswoman said: "We are examining CCTV footage and would appeal for any witnesses to come forward."

A spokeswoman for the Bar and Grill said the fight escalated after door staff removed a group of people scuffling inside the venue.

 

[Logan Sama]

Happened in an event nothing to do with the Lethal show. Wasn't an official after party.

 

[viktorvaughn]

How the fuck is lethal B a 'gangsta rapper'??