GIG REVIEWS
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GIG REVIEWS |
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Scratch Perverts
@ The Dome, Morecambe 07.06.03 www.vanguard-online.co.uk As you approach the giant boob-like structure of The Dome in Morecambe, you can't help but imagine there to be great and mysterious things taking place inside. On this occasion, Fat Ass Funk promotions didn't disappoint. The 650 capacity venue was sold out and very much in the swing of things by ten thirty. There was a broad representation in the crowd, comprised of the easily spotted hip hop devotees, local townies who clearly had no where better to be, and a sprinkling of natural street-freaks, probably lost on their way to Glastonbury. In room 2 (i.e. the bar), The Outbreak Collective created a chilled, trendy wine bar atmosphere with funky hip hop, latin beats and soul. Meanwhile, the baby faced SK Crew entertained the masses with a live hip hop set in the main room. For a handful of young local lads, they turned out some impressive self penned tunes, of a Beastie Boys persuasion. With the DJs notable scratching skills warming up the crowd, the enthusiasm of the SK MCs rippled throughout the venue. However, you couldn't help thinking "awe, isn't that sweet" when they allow hoards of wide eyed mates and girlfriends to bask in the limelight at the sides of the stage. The Perverts tagged-in discretely but soon captured the crowd with the first bout of their legendary scratching ensemble. They began by interspersing hip hop anthems like Beastie boys' 'Intergalactic' and Faith Evan's 'love like this before', with tracks that were equally good but less recognisable. The set was then sped up into tracks like Prodigy's 'Breathe' and DJ Shadow's 'organ donor' to reflect the feverish energy of the crowd. This was soon seamlessly mixed to become drum and bass and the stern concentration of The Scratch Perverts cracked to show the first signs of enjoyment. The crowd showed their appreciation by collectively cutting outrageous shapes on the dance floor, fuelled on by lairy drum and bass and a good-helping of substance abuse. About every other track was decorated with the work of their magic fingers, either in solo form or jointly to create a frenzied but perfectly co-ordinated scratch-off. A camcorder captured the Perverts hand acrobatics and a close up was projected onto two screens for all to admire. Each of the three Perverts performed their party piece, with first prize going to Prime Cuts. In this remarkable trick, Tony Vegas controlled the beat while Prime Cuts managed to produce a great tune simply by tickling a line-in cable. Their impressive synchrony throughout the set was complimented by the slower but more melodic scratching of Plus One. When it came to his turn, the delicate caresses of his fingers could have easily been playing a harp. All in all, a great show by three fingersmiths at the top of their game. They came, wowed, led the dance, and left us roaring for more. |