Skinnyman and L.Man Smoking Ban Tour in Nottingham live
With a string of talented support acts including Buggsy and Richie Rich whetting the appetite of the crowd before the main men L.Man and Skinnyman blessed the mic, it was true to say that the audience were ready to party.
Skinny himself appeared in between performances to introduce the artists and remind everybody of why they were here. It was a small but significant crowd that had gathered in the intimate Templars bar, enough to get a good atmosphere. So when the L Dot Man appeared and started spraying his rapid fire bars and sing along lines it was just the ticket to get the party well and truly under way.
The inclusion of his Channel U single 'Pushin' temporarily slowed things down before the hype lyrics were back to keep things energised. It wasn't long before drunken females were rushing the stage to dance and even rap along with the artists, which somehow added to the positive vibes floating around the venue.
The main man Skinny was then up to take things to the next level and introduce the crowd to his new Grime style that he has labelled 'Gully Step'. Performing underground classics such as 'Hold On' as well as new bars kept things moving nicely until, just when the night was reaching its climax, the club staff pulled the plug and ordered Skinny to come off stage.
The time was now around 2.20am and it seems that licensing laws were the reason the gig was cut short, in which case, the audiences blame towards the club staff was misdirected. As expressed before in recent reviews, whoever organises these UK Hip Hop events seems to have trouble in timetabling the artists so that they all get a good slot on the stage. Similarly at the UK Takeover earlier this year, the headline acts were stopped in their tracks due to getting on stage too late. This ultimately means that the fans get to see more of the support acts and less of the artists they have paid to see.
Don't get it twisted though, this was still a night to remember and reminded the audience of everything that's good, as well as bad, about live UK Hip Hop.
There are likely to be mixed reactions to Skinny's change in direction with new single 'Smoking Ban' at the forefront of this new sound that he says will feature on his upcoming EP. "The EP will consist of about six tracks, three of them Hip-Hop, three of them Grime" said Skinny after the show. With production coming from Dom P on a track named 'Music Speaks Louder Than Words' and L.Star who produced the 'Smoking Ban' single, it is likely to be a highly anticipated release for Skinny fans who have been waiting over three years since the critically acclaimed LP 'Council Estate of Mind' dropped.
You can download the new single 'Smoking Ban' at skinnyman.co.uk. Also look out for the exclusive Smoking Ban t-shirts that you can order by e-mailing skinnymanmudfamily@gmail.com
this was still a night to remember and reminded the audience of everything that's good, as well as bad, about live UK Hip Hop
- Ben Spurr
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