Blackalicious, Jazz Cafe, Camden

Sitting within a stone’s throw of Camden Town tube station as it does the Jazz Café is the ideal venue for a work night gig so, despite a high frequency of office hangovers in the last couple of weeks, the chance to see '90s hip hop legends Blackalicious gets me happily out of the house on a cold February night and on the train to North London with a beer in my hand. We got there well in time for openers Dizraeli and DJ Downlow, who bring some South West hype with a set of energetic and innovative UK hip hop to get the crowd moving from the start. A packed crowd it is too; and one happy to get involved as the duo meld styles and switch up tempos with seemingly boundless enthusiasm. These guys have been on people’s lips for a couple of years now and I can see why, definitely ones to watch…

The energy is kept going by some well-chosen sounds from the Lifesavas’ Jumbo, with him and bandmate Vursatyl clearly playing an essential part of the Blackalicious live experience. After a short set from Vursatyl they are joined on stage by the headliners and the four feed off the crowd’s and each other’s energy to tear the fucking roof off! Taking cuts from their previous three records as well as their long awaited new release, they don’t let the crowd shy away from participation and to be honest the sold out room wouldn’t have it any other way, shouting their heads off whenever the opportunity is offered. Gift of Gab is a consummate frontman with a mastery of high speed flow and a unique deliverance that comes across even more strongly in person than on record, while Chief Xcel’s turntabling takes a subtle approach that is nevertheless a vital part of the whole.

Laid back, jazzy beats perfect for a view of the night heavily infused with dank are peppered with rapid fire freestyles, in a set heavy on classics such as ‘Deception’, ‘Blazing Arrow’, ‘First in Flight’ and ‘Chemical Calisthenics’. Their vibe is infectious and if you aren’t moving in some way you’re probably clinically dead, with the intimate setting of the Jazz Café the perfect platform for a set like this. We might be stuck in a grey London February, but for a night we are transported to a California idyll of sun and sensi. After the final encore has come and gone and the cheers have died down, I head out into the winter’s night with PMA fully set up for the week ahead.