 |
| Ghostpoet play Dollop in Nottingham on Friday 7 October 2011 |
With a Mercury Music Prize nomination under his belt, and a pork pie hat atop his bonce, Ghostpoet has gained a loyal band of followers. They packed out the newly refurbished Red Room at Stealth on Friday to hear tracks from the dapper rapper’s debut album, Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam.
In keeping with the crackly, bedroom production vibe, Ghostpoet aka Obaro Ejimiwe, eschewed the showiness of a big live band. Instead, simply a drummer, guitarist, and the laptop and keyboard he nonchalantly tapped away at from time to time, joined him on stage.
Setting the tone was one of the standout tracks from PBJ&MB - Run Run Run. The dark, trip-hoppy beat is a perfect canvas for Obaro’s raw vocals (think Roots Manuva), and he only allows it a slight tempo boost for the live version. Getting a bit poppier, the more radio-friendly Liiines benefitted from the drums and guitar to push the hook that bit further and get some more movement going.
By now Ghostpoet’s laconic wit, built on an upbringing shared between London and Coventry, was going down well with the young crowd. A shout-off between the rival Nottingham and Trent Uni students showed just how much of the audience they made up. Good for them - the night was certainly beating any amount of Chesney Hawkes singalongs and Hollyoaks star ‘appearances‘ down a grubby union.
Us Against Whatever Ever probably chimed quite well with the student lifestyle, with its nursery rhyme-like chorus and themes of being skint. KFC, Primarni and various references to late night revelry carried over into penultimate track Finished I Ain’t (ahh, very clever, Mr. Poet), before the anthemic Cash and Carry Me Home. With its powerful grime beat and honest, urban ramblings, it would have been a crime for Ghostpoet to end the show on anything but this.
Still a rising star, Ghostpoet managed to mine his debut album for all it was worth, plus add enough other material and a dollop of good humour to make for a diverse, pro performance. And a few students without cash and needing to be carried home, no doubt.
Ghostpoet was playing at Dollop at Stealth on Friday 7 October 2011.
Read comments and make your own
Comments