Asian Dub Foundation @ The Junction
26/02/03
Currently touring there new album ‘Enemy of the Enemy’, Asian
Dub Foundation mix a wide varity of music from dub right through to ragga.
Their live performances certainly do their reputation as one of the hardest
working bands, justice.
Tonight as we enter the junction it is unusually quite and empty. The
support act (Adrian Sherwood) doesn’t even play on the stage, instead
he just mixes his sounds right from the mixing desk. The music is good
but the performance is not. Many people don’t even realise he is
an act and think that it is just a CD playing over the P.A. The sheet
with the times says that ADF will be on stage at about 9 and will play
right through to 11. At about 8:30 the room gradually starts to fill and
there is a lot people looking confused at the lack of any life on stage.
At about 9 DJ Pandit G walks on stage and triggers a sample, he is then
followed by Dr Das and Chandersonic (Bassist and guitarist) who announce
that the opening track is Called Cyberabad. After a few minutes of playing
to the backing sample, live drummer Rocky and Dhol player Cyber, arrive
on stage. The Junction is soon full of dancing people feeling the bass
and rhythm. As cyberabad draws to close the final two members of Asian
Dub Foundation arrive on stage. Rappers Aktar and Mc Spex introduce themselves
and then ask who is the real great Britain, Tony Blair or all the people
who marched against the war? The answer to the question is immediately
answered as they kick into the track ‘Real Great Britain’.
The crowd goes wild, the whole of the front row seem to know the words
and this seems to make the band go crazy, jumping everywhere even into
each other.
Over the next hour and a half crowd pleasers such as ‘New Way new
Life, Buzzin, Naxalite, Free Saptal Ram’ are banged out through
the junctions speakers. These are played alongside tracks from their new
album, which have a harder more aggressive feel to them. This aggression
and frustration is conveyed through the bands performance. During the
title track to their new album, members of the band don masks to a sample
of eary noise. As the track kicks in mad strobe lights flicker faster
than the eye follow. Aktar and Spex go mental, busting out their lyrics
while they jump around the stage carefully avoiding Cyber who is banging
his Dhol drum so hard one of the sticks break half way through the song.
As ADF leave the stage rapper Aktar comes done of the stage for me to
take a photo of him, he gives me a respect and leaves. The stage is empty
for about 5 minutes until dhol player Rocky emerges and starts to bang
out some Indian tribal rhythms, a few minutes later drummer rocky comes
onto the stage. He starts dancing to Cyber’s beat. Chandersonic
and Dr Das then appear on stage and pick up their instruments and kick
in to ‘Buzzin’. The people around me seem to erupt and I jump
backwards hitting someone in the face as I do so, I don’t think
he even noticed. As ‘Buzzin’ comes to an end Spex asks the
audience if Cambridge is ready to bounce. They don’t wait for an
answer a sample of a woman singing is played over the P.A Aktar announces
that this is the last song and that its called Rebel Warrior. From the
cheer that greets this news you can tell that this is another of the crowds
favourites. As the sample builds up to a defining climax the lights fade
and Spexs asks, “are you ready Cambridge” everyone screams
and the Junction erupts as the band kick into the song the strobes flash
mentally as we jump and dance to the genius of ADF. Its over all to soon
though and soon the stage is once again, empty. As the crowd begins to
shuffle out I wait around and grab a set list off the stage.
Asian Dub Foundation seem to have achieved so much and still it hasn’t
seemed to have made them loose sight of why they make music and why they
are in a band. Even when I ask them to sign my set list they are all quite
taken aback and surprised. As Rapper Aktar finishes signing his name his
name he looks up at me and says “Brother, you guys really give it
some” I laughed and said to him “I could say the same about
you.”
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