Beardyman w/JFB – Electric Ballroom, London 9/03/2011

In my late teens, I had a close affliction with the bohemian utopia that is Camden, London. A melting pot of subcultures bound together via distinction. The Punks; The Goths; The Dreads; The Rudeboys and more recently Dickheads all verge upon NW1 for the musical assortment that the Inner London enclave proposes nightly. Underworld; The Lock Tavern; Devonshire Arms; Jazz Cafe and Roundhouse are an epigrammatic cross-section of venue that caters for the passive and immersed fan alike.

Yet, as I lose my venue virginity to the Electric Ballroom (after a self inflicted 7 year spell of chastity against oompa-loompa radiant birds and chav lads on a Saturday night) a thought transcends: it queries whether tonight’s headliner Beardyman will arouse the emotion of the sell out assembly sufficiently enough. His well documented blend of humour and polished attention to musical precision is a unique selling point that seasoned musicians cannot lay claim to.

Support act JFB – 2007 UK DMC Champion and Tour DJ – swaggers onstage in a nonchalant fashion with a white wig reminiscent of Doc Brown from Back To The Future. That in itself is probably a subtle signal for the nostalgic journey he declares via turntablism. It sends the receptive crowd shuffling forward instantly and whips them into an early and enigmatic frenzy. A back catalogue of classics including Roots Manuva’s ‘Witness The Fitness’ and DJ Kool’s ‘Let Me Clear My Throat’ are scratched impeccably to a milieu of witty voiceovers by Beardy and well-shared virals. Yet, as the message on the screen reads “What are all the trendy kids listening to these days?” The so far impressive beat juggler inexplicably shoots himself (like a suicidal left- back with his beloved air rifle in tow) with a cacophony of unimaginative wobble and apparently dirty bassline to conclude his set.

Beardyman trundles onto the uncharacteristically high stage platform to mass rapture, and smoothly addresses the crowd in the vein of President Obama before he enters a freestyle medley that has him covering hip-hop to trance and mimicking the spirit of Nina Simone in his lifting rendition of ‘Feeling Good’. You can’t deny the method to his methodical madness.

He then descends behind his melodious musicstation of Kaoss Pads, Synthesizer and Ableton Live to reconvene his breathless breeze out of the blocks. He unashamedly jests with the crowd about the state of his extensive barnet and builds into a progressive looping cover of Magnetic Man accompanied by a stirring kick-snare pattern suitably christened ‘I Need Hair’. Further interpretations of Saint Etienne’s Indie-dance take on Neil Young’s ‘Only Love Can Break Your Heart’ and lauded man of the moment James Blake’s ‘Limit To Your Love’. Both are reinterpreted with typical zest remaining engrossed in the digital and true to the ephemeral emotions which romance can declare.

“London! What the fuck are you sayin’?” is the hairdrying half-time yelp that professes whether the congregation have finally caught up to his frenetic opening and the arms are held aloft to the prospect of making a fresh LP courtesy of random submissions before the gig terminates. A heady mix of Nick Clegg and Scouse House is laid on a bed of thumping four to the floor with an insurmountable degree of antagonism freestyled for good measure. The highlight of the impromptu EP (bloody time constraints) was Bananarama mauled by Snoop Dogg (Jon Hopkins Remix) where Beardy played Dr Dre’s signature keys to a West Coast reinterpretation with the famous ‘Venus’ choral refrain engineered into alto territory.

The obligatory encore brought JFB from backstage and an energetic injury time spell of Inverse Musical Statues saw the fervent 90 min affair to a close. Audible natter from punters filled instances when lulls were prompted via the showman’s penchant for live production. Nonetheless, the slow build and genre hopping sensibilities consolidate Darren Foreman as an entity who has established himself as a diligent performer in both online and offline sagacity.