Anti-Pop Consortium @ Hare & Hounds, 26th July 2011
Since reforming in 2009 alternative hip-hop icons ‘Anti-Pop Consortium’ have been touring ever since and tonight they performed at a special one off live event hosted by ‘Fantastic Damage’, Birmingham’s new leftfield hip-hop night.
Following epic DJ sets from the likes of ‘Sigmund Frued’ and ‘Helix the Spacecat’, support act H.L.I. took to the stage warmly welcomed by a partisan crowd happy to see some home grown talent before the main event.
Free and fast flowing lyrics over clever beats made for a great opening act with the two vocalists of H.L.I working the audience and encouraging sing-along hooks. At the end of a thirty-minute set, urged to play one more by their fans, H.L.I. rounded off their performance by taking turns to freestyle over one of their older tracks.
Further DJ sets followed until ACP finally took to the stage. M. Sayyid, High Priest and Earl Blaize have been performing together since meeting at a poetry slam in 1997 and their experience and showmanship was evident throughout an exhilarating set.
Known for a sound that is a genre blending, heady and experimental mix of electronica, hip hop and rap, ACP really pushed the boundaries with their eclectic sounds and intelligent lyrics. Mixing in old favourites, some apparently off the cuff instrumental numbers and tracks off their most recent album ‘Fluorescent Black’, ACP played with the confidence and ease of a group completely at the top of their game.
With the gig drawing towards an end High Priest asked the crowd to call out songs they wanted to hear, “Volcano” and “Ping Pong” was the overwhelming response. ACP duly obliged by playing both. Firstly ‘Volcano’ a catchy single of a song with a shout back chorus, and then ‘Ping Pong’ a beast of a track featuring a sample that Pink Floyd would have been proud of.
Booking a band of the underground stature of ‘Anti Pop Consortium’ to play at the Hare and Hounds is a testament to the small but burgeoning Hip-Hop scene in Birmingham. ACP clearly bought into the family vibes of the evening, putting their all into a winning performance and then inviting H.L.I. to join them on stage for an encore.
Review & photos – Alexander Dean