Gig Review: De La Soul

Now twenty years deep into their ‘Daisy Age’ odyssey, seminal Hip-Hop trio De La Soul remain one of the most criminally overlooked bands in the music business. Their innovative and playful approach changed the face of the genre, yet in 2009 they are labelled ‘out of touch’, purely because they refuse to compromise their originality for chart success. In a recent interview, DJ Vincent ‘Maseo’ Mason remarked that their ability to stay rooted and recording in an industry that disagrees with them, was due to the fact that they never forget who they are really working for, the fans. Whilst they may never recapture the commercial and critical success of 1989 debut 3 Feet High and Rising, De La’s set at the Camden Centre on the 11th June 2009 proved that now pushing 40, they still embody the vibe and sentiment of the Daisy Age.

On the night of the 11th, the odds seemed stacked against the Long Island troupe. The venue was small, the sound was sub-par and an unfortunately timed tube strike meant the Camden Centre never reached full capacity. Yet as soon as Maseo stepped up behind his decks and beckoned the crowd toward him, such matters became insignificant. Opening with the title track from 2004’s The Grind Date, emcees Kelvin ‘Posdnuos’ Mercer and Dave ‘Trugoy’ Jolicoeur emerged from the wings, and De La’s unrelenting energy and physical presence continually went beyond what could possibly be expected from three men, two mics and two turntables.

A mere two songs into the set, Dave declared “There are no rules at a De La show”, and a man of his word, he and Pos soon leapt down from the stage, rhyming and dancing as they disappeared into the crowd. Indeed, whilst the size of the venue felt hardly befitting their legend, it did provide a unique intimacy. There were no barriers and no surly security guards separating the crowd from the stage, creating an even greater sense of a communal experience.

As expected, the show was a tidy summation of De La Soul’s back catalogue. The set list ranged from upbeat roller skating anthem ‘A Roller Skating Jam Named “Saturdays”’, to the hard edged ‘Rock Co.Kane Flow’. Yet naturally the most magical moments came in the form of the spirited rap-along’s from their 1989 debut, the most notable being a triumphant rendition of ‘Me Myself and I’. As old fans and new, sang the seven ‘Ooh’s’ of the chorus, the song’s timeless glory shone through.

Two decades on from their sensational entrance into the music business, De La Soul’s perceived inability to match up to the precedent of their debut, means their worth is constantly brought under scrutiny. Whilst many will continue to look to their albums as proof of their diminishing relevance, the fact that approaching 40, a band two thirds overweight in an under equipped venue can still transfix and hold audience is telling of their worth and ever-growing legacy.

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