Live
Brand New Heavies: 02 Shepherd’s Bush Empire 04/11/09
The Brand New Heavies play their home turf on the second date of their 2009 UK tour to a packed out 02 Shepherd’s Bush Empire in support of the release of their Greatest Hits live release- Live in London.
Bartholomew, Kincaid, Levy & co. kick off their set with a funky instrumental introduction of ‘People Get Ready’. Shades on & scarves around waists, Bartholomew & Levy engage in some back to back guitar playing, unleashing their contagious energy to a very excitable audience. The acid-jazz scene is set for N’Dea Davenport to suddenly appear on stage, shimmering in silver sequenced jacket, to rapturous audience, taking the 30-40 something crowd back to their hey-day. ‘Never Stop’ warms up the crowd a little further as the early classics are a sure-fire way to begin the show in style.
The band are yet to come in to full swing playing instantly recognisable hits from the Brother Sister era with ‘Dream On Dreamer’ & ‘Midnight At The Oasis’, which are warmly received. With ‘Sometimes’ being their biggest original hit to date, it’s hardly surprising that the majority of the audience are singing along. N’Dea asks for the lights to be turned down, trying to up the intimacy and overall atmosphere of the show, but she is seemingly ignored. The fairly lacklustre backdrop and bright lights did not help in creating the appropriate atmosphere. Besides a few dispersed individuals truly enjoying the show, the large majority of the audience seems to be mildly content with next set of forgettable songs, their focus appearing to have waned somewhat, often choosing to engage in chitchat amongst one another for some Wednesday night drinks rather than connect with a full on Brand New Heavies show.
The band cannot be faulted for energy and enthusiasm though. In a bid to wake the crowd from their slumber N’Dea asks “Is this really London out there? You’re awfully quiet”. I sense the band’s vulnerability (which is rather endearing). Nevertheless, the band look onwards and upwards, and deeper into their set N’Dea chooses to converse with audience, which relaxed the atmosphere as well as demanded their attention.
After homage to Michael Jackson highlighting the contribution he has made to our lives, N’Dea comes into her stride, dedicating the Stevie Wonder classic ‘I Don’t Know Why’ to the late King of Pop (who also covered the song with Jackson 5). Her heartfelt powerhouse vocals proved to be a stunning tribute. This marked a turning point in which they stepped up their game after a strong start and mediocre middle, the crowd showing their appreciation. ‘Let’s Do It Again’ & ‘You Are The Universe’ are upbeat numbers which sees the whole band bouncing about the stage soloing their way through the room. Finally the lights have been turned down, N’Dea rhetorically questioning, “Now the lights turned down, at the end of the show?” Their energy, now infectious, draws in the entire crowd as they finally get their groove on once again. The band says a big thank you & goodnight to London, leaving the stage as the lights go down. The crowd applauds demanding an encore.
After a short intermission, the band reappear and go back in time once again, to their debut era with ‘Stay This Way’ & ‘Dream Come True’. The longstanding crowd really start letting loose with all hands blazing, clapping their way through these jazzy, funktastic & charged tunes. Levy plucks his bass creating some delicious funky pulsating bass lines which urge you to move. It feels like the party has well and truly started, finally! Suddenly opening act & Mercury Music Prize winner Speech Debelle is welcomed to the stage midway through the final song, for what I expected to be an electric collaboration. Unfortunately it didn’t materialize. Her mic did not appear to be working properly, and when it finally did, the rap was incoherent and short lived as she excused herself from the stage. The band finished on a high note though, drawing ‘Dream Come True’ and the evening to a close, to a largely satisfied audience.
Words JONNY MOSESSON
