realbeats.com & Ko Rockin' It present DIRTBURG @ The Adelphi - 22nd May By Rich Todd

Having been fortunate enough to witness every realbeats / Ko Rockin' It night, expectations for this one were again high, especially having seen on the flyer that the main act Dirtburg had been dubbed the U.K.'s finest live hip hop band? The evening started with Ko Rockin' It's resident DJ Defunkt providing the early sounds, cleverly choosing very organic sounding hip hop tracks that fitted the mood of the crowd perfectly.

Introduced by our host for the evening; realbeats.com's Reality? And kicking off the live portion of the evening were surprise guests, Hull's very own Hip Hop band; The Project. This recently-formed local 7 piece has created a buzz with their previous performances. The band consists of MC's Leano and Lydon (standing in for the absent Issac), the very soulful female singer Sarah, Saxophone player Big John, Rob on Keyboard, drums provided by Shiek (of Hearts of Darkness fame) and DJ Defunkt with the cuts and scratches.

Their performance again didn't disappoint and obviously gained them even more followers. Unfortunately, as is often the case with bands formed at University, key players in the group will soon be leaving our fair city, so this addition to the bill was perhaps our last chance to see The Project? Only time will tell if we will see them again. For a brief interlude DJ Defunkt kept the vibe going with more suitably picked tracks, and before long it was the turn for local MCs to take to the stage for the Ko Rockin' It open mic. A regular slot in which up and coming MC's get their chance to shine. Each MC is given a couple of minuets to rhyme about whatever he / she wants before it's time to pass the mic to the next willing participant. With so many styles and flows on show it never allows the crowds attention to wander.

After a short interval, again filled by DJ Defunkt and Reality?, it's the turn of tonight's headliners; Dirtburg. Reality? gets the crowd hyped with chants of Hip - Hop and Dirt - Burg as the 6-piece band from London, comprising of MC's; Carizma & Boneca, DJ; JD Hogg, Guitarists; Sanchez & Jimmy2sockets and N Dogg on drums, take the stage.

Knowing that the band have performed with U.K Hip Hop's heavyweights, including; Taskforce, Ammo, Blade and Phi life Cypher (amongst others), has certainly got the more informed Hip Hop fans interested in the group. After being championed up & down the country for their live performances and with 2 critically acclaimed E.Ps under their belts (The Felling Vanderbilt E.P & The Rare Japanese Bootleg E.P) the packed Adelphi crowd are more than ready to witness The Dirtburg live experience.

They opened with the anthem Monsoon which set things off nicely before performing other favourites from their catalogue. It soon became apparent that Dirtburg aren't your typical Hip Hop band. What we are seeing is a band that enjoys performing as much as the crowd enjoys listening. They aren't afraid to inject comedy into their routines as well as their lyrics, which can sometimes be missing in other artists live performances.

As a member of the audience they make you feel as if you are as important as they are, and that everyone plays their part in making the night a success. This is never more apparent than during the song Gypsy Jazz where the entire audience is guided through a simple but effective dance move. With the use of live instruments Dirtburg enjoy a broader fan base than the traditional Two turntables and a mic Hip Hop acts. As they proceed through their set it's clear they are influenced by other music genres, including rock, jazz, funk, etc. but at the same time, they never drift too far away from the essence of hip hop.

As the temperature and energy rose with every tune Dirtburg eventually took a breather before returning for an encore performance complete with MC Boneca dressed as Elvis (Much to the crowds delight)! For the second portion of their encore, Dirtburg were joined on stage by host Reality? who, having delivered one of his trademark freestyles (making the rap up on the spot), explained that in Hull the fans like Drum and Bass just as much as they do Hip Hop, at which point the band went into a spontaneous DnB jam, using their style and live instruments to great effect, while Reality? & Carizma switched to hyping the crowd and delivering raps in the traditional ultra fast way which, we have come to expect from Drum 'n' Bass music.

Much to the crowds disappointment the night is almost over, but just before the band leave the stage, Boneca takes a moment to thank the audience and ask if they would welcome Dirtburg back to Hull again. The crowd respond with a resounding; YES!!!!, So, Lets hope it's not too long before we see them back in the H, U, Double Hockey Sticks!

The only thing left to do was for Defunkt to finish the night in the same way he started it with more laid back flavas, the perfect ending to a perfect night. To my enjoyment the night had a very earthy feel to it, which in itself can be rare in today's hip-hop climate; with the genre too often being used as a business as opposed to an art form. realbeats.com & Ko Rockin' It continue to put on nights with acts that stick to the true essence of the music, here's looking forward to the next one.

Photographs courtsey and Copyright © Rich Todd

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