Roots Manuva

This gig never really hit the heights that it seemed capable of. The show felt disjointed, with a clear difference in quality between newer tracks and the older classics. There were similar mismatches within the backing band, with faultless drums, scratching and keyboards let down by substandard backing vocals and the utterly pointless presence of a heavy-rock guitarist. The sense of disappointment even spread to the enigmatic frontman, who seemed stifled and awkward until finally throwing off his suit jacket and giving the type of performance everybody anticipated. When things went well, this gig soared – the fuzzy, gut-shattering basslines and piercing lyrical ramblings we’ve grown to expect from Manuva really hit the spot and got the whole crowd bouncing, but these moments were unfortunately all too fleeting.

Concorde 2, 31 January

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