The Roots Bristol Academy “Your answers lie inside you. The answers to life’s questions lie inside you. All you need is to look, listen and trust.” Shanti Nilaya The buzz searing through the crowd is electrifying. This sold-out Roots gig has brought out everyone in the funky fresh city who loves good music and the expectation is high. I’ve been looking forward to this gig for a long time. When my girlfriend initially bought the tickets, just after we started listening to “Phrenology”, I wasn’t too fussed but as the infectious grooves and old school licks slowly consumed me, I started imagining a new Roots. For me they always had a history of being interesting enough to check out but not too exciting to be endlessly listenable. “Thing Fall Apart” was technically great and on the first few listens, enjoyable, but grew quickly tiresome. “Phrenology” had the opposite effect on me. A muted first listen grew steadily into a pivotal part of my playlist. The obvious cut off the album being “The Seed 2.0” with that catchy guitar hook and Cody ChesnuTT’s hilarious yet smooth vocals meant many nights of that song looping around and around in my head. As the 28th approached, I grew more and more excited. The support band, K-Os, are interesting and funky as hell. A simplistic set up of vocalist, Spanish guitarist and tabla player mean a minimalist focus on musicianship, just as the focus on music from the legendary Roots live set-up. The lyrical concerns are astral dreams about planes of existence and resistance and the mad tabla playing is enough to make the feel bouncy. Sadly, not a lot of the audience was receptive enough to such a “different” set-up and I was stood next to many cried of “What the fuck is this?” It’s sad to see support bands get the short draw when die-hard fans are there for the headline only and won’t be open to anything else. As K-Os finish and the roadies set up the Roots’ intricate set of instruments, a crush ensues as the people in the venue all push forward, slamming us against the barriers at the front. The lights go down and the Roots come on in darkness and start jamming some jazz grooves. The crowd cheers, pushes forward and screams their adulations. The lights explode as the beginning attack of “Rock You” starts. ?uestlove and the percussionist are tight and solid together as a backing. The bassist, with a stub of cheroot permanently stuck to his lips, is funky with his slap bass and knows the spaces and troughs of music, thus adding where necessary and dropping out where essential. The keyboardist is the backbone of the set, playing all the record’s samples on his keyboards and capturing all the main hooks. The new guitarist, Martin Luther, is barely distinct in this opening and largely inaudible. Black Thought starts rapping, with his back to the audience, his voice is tired and emotionless as he raps by numbers. Scratch is the focal point of energy as he bounds about the stage, a fulcrum of vibes and immense talent. He backs up where needed and adds his trademark vocal scratches and beatboxes into the mix. The majority of “Phrenology” is played as well as the odd song from “Things Fall Apart” and “Do you want more???” The array of talent on show cannot be faulted. The legendary Roots crew are extremely good at what they do and are technically superior musicians to most of the hiphop universe. Their endless touring is inspired and a brilliant way of meeting the people who buy your records and give them more. However, we seem to have caught them towards the end of their tour and this is the problem. They look weary and tired of their own songs. Black Thought looks like he cannot be bothered. The backing band play the songs adequately, yet too slick. There is no improvisation or much passion left. Only Scratch is still hungry. The only time the band comes alive is through the solo spots, which are peppered throughout the show, that border on self-indulgent. The first of the solo spots is the bassist’s and is done with immense humour and humility. His tongue is firmly in his cheek as he plays out a seven minute slap bass solo. He plays up to the crowd and winks at them, smiling inanely to himself while the rest of the band crowd around behind him and mentally urge him to hurry up. The guitarist, Martin Luther, while barely involved in the show (a waste of such a powerful instrument) grabs at his solo spot and comes alive, as if he’s been playing through the rest of the set, half-arsed just so he’ll be allowed this ten minute indulgence. He sings a capella two cheesy R’n’B numbers, loving, milking every second. ?uestlove and the nameless percussionist play out a drum-off where call and response turns to instrument-swapping mid-beat turns to drumstick tapping on any available surface, a great show of talent. However, ten minutes later, I’m trying to throw matches at their sticks to set them alight. Scratch’s solo spot at the end is truly magnificent though, played with passion and conviction and well-deserved as he’s played his heart out throughout the whole show. There’s the problem. They play their own songs by numbers and then go mental on their solo spots. They should be giving their all throughout the entire show. Not to say I didn’t enjoy myself. It was interesting to see the songs realised live. Cody ChesnuTT’s appearance on “The Seed 2.0” is a show highlight and they are amazing musicians. I just wanted Black Thought to give a shit about the songs and the audience. He spends practically the entire show with his back to us, which isn’t that inviting. I wanted less showmanship and more soul power. My only advice to the legendary Roots crew would be simple: don’t tour as much and you won’t get bored of your own songs. It’ll keep the live hunger alive. Also, give the guitar some personality. It’ll add untold layers to the sound. Not to sound moany or anything. They’re good and talented. I just wish I’d caught the beginning of the tour earlier this year and not the tail-end of it. And two hours is a long time to play, to sustain my concentration at least. It’s like hiphop can’t get it right. They either play for 20 minutes (see Bubba Sparxx) or for two hours. So, to the Roots, the legendary Roots, I offer my respect and love but hope to catch them again in more passionate circumstances. As soon as they announce their next show, I’m going to the first one in line! - Shook-ya © ukhh.com 1999 - 2003