The Dreadzone (5) album launch for ‘Eye
on The Horizon’ was an intimate affair in
Cargo, London. Once I’d made my way through
the achingly trendy bar doused in easy listening
reggae I found myself in the back room where I
was greeted by a relatively small stage set up,
ready and waiting for Dreadzone. The room was
moodily lit and slowly being taken over by anticipation
filled Dreadzone fans. It was safe to say that
everyone there was expecting something special
from Dreadzone as their reputation precedes them
as an amazing live band. I was included in this
belief. When Dreadzone made their way onto the
stage they were met with cheers, but less enthusiastic
ones than I thought. This thankfully was not a
precursor to the rest of the show. I hate to spoil
the review so early on, but it was an amazing
gig.
Because it was an album launch I’m sure
the majority of the crowd didn’t know what
they were in for but Dreadzone eased the crowd
into their new material with a firm favourite
and classic ‘Love, Life and Unity’
to warm the crowd up. They then made the smooth
transition from old to new and the crowd barely
flinched welcoming the new songs like old friends.
Dreadzone have the rare ability to keep a crowd
dancing, even when they don’t know the songs…it’s
probably down to the 15 years experience they
have.
MC Spee interacted with the crowd like the seasoned
pro he is, oozing charisma and charm. Although
he was limited to a stool you barely noticed that
he was confined to it. Using his cane as a prop
and crowd pleaser only added to his already animated
stage presence. It came in especially handy during
‘Gangster’ (which was one of the best
received new songs) where he used it as a gun
prop to go along with the sound effects.
Some of the best received new material was ‘Tomorrow
Never Comes’, ‘Changes’ (two
of my personal favourites) and ‘For a Reason’.
These kept the audience dancing with their up
tempo beats and pure energy coming off the stage.
This translated into the crowd’s feet and
kept everyone dancing.
The only fault that I could pick with the entire
gig is that the audio at the beginning of ‘American
Dread’ wasn’t loud enough; everything
else was as close to perfect you can get with
a live gig. It was one of the best I have been
to in a long time and I will definitely be making
an effort to see Dreadzone again on the summer
festival circuit. You now you’ve been to
a good gig when you dance while you’re photographing
and leave literally buzzing.
Deadzone 5/5
Review By Nicci Peet
|
