Foreign Beggars - Dublin Castle
- Posted on April 25, 2007 11:00 AM
- 1 comment
Foreign Beggars
Dublin Castle - Camden Crawl
April 19th, 2007
By Katie Spain
The beauty of the Camden Crawl is that like it or not, you often stumble upon bands that you'd otherwise never see.
Every now and then a live musical experience broadens your listening horizons. This happened to me on the first day of London's Camden-based music festival. Now, I'm no Hip Hop addict and chances are I never will be... but I'm gradually starting to really like the stuff. Foreign Beggars sure have a lot to answer for.
I may not 'walk the walk' and I certainly don't 'talk the talk' but I do know a bloody good night's entertainment when I see it. This five-man crew, comprising of rappers Orifice Vulgatron and Metropolis, DJ NoNames, Beat Boxer Shlomo and Producer Dag Nabbit stormed the Dublin Castle and took on an audience who were largely there to see wine-guzzling jazz starlet Amy Winehouse. Unperturbed and delightfully confident, they grabbed us by the musical scruffs and shook us 'til we rocked the sweat-soaked floor.
The lads cut an unlikely combination... Metropolis is tall, dark and mysterious with the type of hair style that only the effortlessly cool can pull off. He prowls across the stage like a Hip Hop spouting panther, and shocks us into silence with his solo street-violence piece. DJ NoNames, stands behind his decks, engrossed in the task at hand. His skill is evident, even to me and his hands as quick as DJ lightning.
Orifice Vulgatron is my favourite of the lot - he's not much taller than I am but he makes up for it in pure character. 100% animated and intent on stirring up the crowd, he's all quick-lipped smiles. These guys have the type of attitude that comes with the knowledge of talent. This guy's eagerness to chat to the crowd and high-five some obvious non-fans before the set is testament to a genuine love of the music and appreciation of the audience.
A few short appearances by the gorgeous Graziella add smooth lyrics, pitch perfect vocals and a dose of melody to challenge even the likes of Amy Winehouse. The standard has definitely been set. It's not surprising really; these guys were voted "Best Group" and winners of "Best single" at the Lyric Pad Hip hop awards 2005. They've got the experience too - Shlomo appeared on Bjork's album 'Medulla' and NoNames has done cuts for Damon Albarn's Gorillaz project.
Speaking of which, when Beat Boxer Shlomo steps into the limelight, we're ready for some magic - little did we know, we were dealing with the magician. I could watch Schlomo beat box all night - he toyed with pre-gig tracks, a bit of jazz (dedicated to Winehouse fans) and played cat and mouse with DJ NoNames - amazing. The non-fans were fast being converted and I'm sure our chanting could be heard by the people on the streets.
I don't always get the extra large shirts, the Hip Hop jargon or the moves but somehow, tonight... at the front of the swaying throng of Camden Crawlers, this music makes sense. Foreign Beggars leave us all begging for more - and if security hadn't called it quits, they would have delivered. Great fun - and a foreign experience I want to have again... as soon as the chance arises.
In the meantime... check out the some video footage from the gig:
Foreign beggars album STRAY POINT AGENDA, out now on www.dentedrecords.com
Check out their official website or MySpace for details.
Comments (1)
Hippy
Great footage - checked out their site and these guys look awesome. Gimme gimme gimme...
Posted on April 25, 2007 2:55 PM
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