The Roots drag things out in Brixton

They stand out from many of their contemporaries by playing almost entirely with live instruments, and not necessarily having to rely heavily on samples. There aren’t many hip hop acts who appeal to crowds as diverse as The Roots.

Over the years, Philadelphia hip hop has seen several different key figures come and go. Tonight (10th July), at their first London show since 2011, only two band members were present that had been part of The Roots since its inception: drummer Questlove and lyrical mastermind Black Thought. MCs Mic Righteous and Rodney P opened before The Roots came on, along with a great showing from Brooklyn veteran Jeru the Damaja.

The Roots started their show with some of their older, jazzier work, including “Proceed” from their second album Do You Want More?!!!??!. Black Thought sounded comfortable over the beat, awash with funky rhodes and electronic bass. Unfortunately, this was hampered by the poor sound levels. Whereas Brixton Academy usually is spot on sonically, tonight Black Thought’s vocal sounded muffled, and Questlove’s breaks didn’t hit as hard as we all knew they could.

Although newer track “The Fire” sounded better, it was still sullied by poor acoustics and musicians trying to over-complicate the performance. Although each member of The Roots is a fantastic instrumentalist in their own right, together, the songs sounded dragged out and turned quickly into jam sessions. “You Got Me”, off their 1999 breakthrough album Things Fall Apart, sounded particularly confused, with an unnecessarily quicker drum beat than usual.

Each band member had their chance to entertain, whether it was Questlove and his percussion protégé Frank Knukles’ mesmerising drumming session or the MPC player chopping up some original J Dilla samples. At times, the band would switch to playing covers of funk songs, such as bits of Booker T & The MG’s “Melting Pot” and Kool & The Gang’s “Jungle Boogie”. Although the covers were welcomed by the audience, there were a lot of great original Roots songs that were pulled from the set as a result, including “Don’t Say Nuthin’”, “The Otherside”, “Here I Come” and “Star (Pointro)”.

At times, Black Thought didn’t seem to know what to do with himself when he wasn’t rapping. It didn’t help that The Roots’ audience interaction was minimal. Some sort of interaction seemed imperative on the band’s jazzier numbers, such as the smooth “Mellow My Man”, which apart from the lack of coordination, was one of the best tracks of the evening.

It’s hard to know if The Roots have always been this musically self-indulgent, or if their regular evening slots on Jimmy Fallon have turned them into a great live funk band, but a poor live hip hop band. Those unfamiliar with The Roots, dragged along to the show by their friends or other halves, most likely would have enjoyed the gig solely for the band’s technical abilities. But many long-time Roots fans may have been left disappointed with the musical addendum, minimal audience interaction and poor song choice. Let’s hope they cater for their fans more next time.