By Michael Stuart
MOBO winner Soweto Kinch should well be considered a national treasure in this country. The Brummie-based hiphop/jazz impresario is easily one of the most exciting musicians currently gracing the mic over here. How many rappers do you know who can attract and satisfy diehard John Coltrane aficionados? With the current climate of banal and generic UK hiphop it’s a breath of fresh air to hear someone injecting their work with some much-needed experimentation this side of the Atlantic.
And as you would imagine from a crossover musician so dedicated to jazz, he knows how to put on a live show. Kinch came onstage and told the audience that due to ‘label politics’ they wouldn’t be able to play any songs from his majorly delayed new record. This was a shame but did not tarnish the superb show which he put on with his water-tight backing band. Kinch’s set consisted of semi-improvised jazz pieces interspersed with rap narratives taken from his concept album A Life In The Day Of B19 - Tales Of The Tower Block.
Between tracks Kinch would banter cheerfully to the audience and came across as an incredibly warm and charismatic performer. But he also knows how to put on actual live show rather than just whittling through the tracks like many acts these days. Highlights included a hilarious battle rap between him and his band and a freestyle done about pictures which were projected behind him on a screen.
The UK music scene needs more trailblazers like Soweto and I cannot recommend his live show enough.
Rating: 8 out of 10
David Jensen Photography:
https://www.davidjensen.co.uk/
