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Its not very often I offer to drive to a gig as I am indeed a sad alcoholic who needs a few jars to have a good time. So this is Tony Rottons ultimate test of his career, can he entertain a fully sober 2hip? By the time I actually reach The Thekla, I’m properly moody, after having pissed people in my car shouting down my ear for the last half an hour. So it’s straight up stairs to silence them with more alcohol, then I can sit down and chill to a few tunes. Parker and Moneyshot do a good job of lifting my battered spirit by putting in practise some precision tune selection. So for the next two hours I chill to the sounds of artists like Rola, Rodney P, Brand Nubian. As the third can of Redbull begins to kick in I actually feel in the mood for dancing… good job boys. So I haul my arse downstairs, with the Thekla being a boat, I find myself in the hull. Anyone who’s been to this club will know, sweaty and grimy is the order of the day. The area Blak Twang has on stage is fairly restrictive, and as the crowd are now packed into the long thin dance floor waiting, when he comes out he could be forgiven for thinking he’s performing to a crowd of chickens in a battery farm. The dark depressing surroundings the crowd are in become unimportant and the people of Bristol welcome Blak Twang back to their city. Big Ted positions himself behind the decks and begins to spin ‘Warm Up’. This initially dampened my spirits as I’d rather have seen Blak Twang run on stage bouncing around to ’Kik Off’. Still once the warm up is over, the gig really kicks off as ‘So Rotton’ drops in and the crowd start to rock. What struck me straight away was Tony Rotton’s immaculate rendition of this and forthcoming tracks. It wasn’t a case of just listening to his LP played through a PA as there was plenty of crowd involvement, but the clarity of his voice was well impressive. The delivery of lyrics made the whole experience so much easier than the usual “What the fuck is up with the levels?!” which usually plagues hiphop events. Tunes like ‘Firepower’ keep the crowd rocking the boat, which is why the selection of ‘Ain’t Done Too Bad’ seems a bit of a mystery. Good tune for sure, but it really chilled the crowd out which was a shame. Thankfully, afterwards, a mash up of Blak Twangs older material got people moving again. It’s nice to know not all the crowd were there just on the back of the recent success, so to hear people rapping along to the likes of ‘Dettwork South East’ and ‘Real Estate’ was satisfying. Still no point being stuck in the passed as the new single ‘Trikstar’ crafted a quality atmosphere with nearly the whole crowd joining in. No Est’elle to do her bit, but Big Ted does his best to do her parts by putting on a squeaky voice! Very funny indeed! What other way to wind up the evening than dropping the single ‘Kik Off’. Tony Rotton hypes up the crowd and they respond by going fucking mad. Everyone’s rapping along, jumping up and down and more importantly… enjoying themselves. After the stage is left bare, people stand around reflecting on what was a superb show. I make my way home sober, yet happy in the knowledge that I’ll remember the night much better for it. If Blak Twang comes to a town near you I’d highly suggest you pay him a visit, as his stage presence and backlog of tunes is truly worth seeing. - 2Hip | 2hip  Related Links:
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