REGGAE RUNNINGS -- 13 February 2008

By Jesse I

Melbourne was treated to some first class international reggae artists over the last couple weeks, but sadly it seems that not all of Melbourne was aware. Lady Saw, a.k.a “The first lady of dancehall” played at the Espy on Sunday 27th January on a strange bill that also featured Bunny Rugs (lead singer of the legendary Third World band) and Gaz Mayall from the long-running London club night Gaz’s Rocking Blues. The low turnout and lack of promotion for the show seemed to be the talk of the night, and I heard a couple people remark that they never saw a single poster or flyer for the show until they were actually inside the Espy. Thankfully, Lady Saw was pure entertainment, and despite the Gershwin room being only half-full, she quickly whipped the crown into a frenzy. While her brand of “feminism” was undoubtedly a lot more hardcore than average, she definitely bigged up the ladies, and most in the venue were smiling from start to finish. Bunny Rugs played last, backed by “the band with no name” who were surprisingly good. Sadly a lot of people had left already, but it didn’t deter the ever-professional Rugs, who ran through his large catalog of hits, and sounded as good as ever.

Last Thursday night brought another eclectic line-up to Melbourne, as Jamaican sing-jay Junior Kelly played at the Corner Hotel alongside Birmingham’s Overproof Soundsystem, G-Corp, Mista Savona, Deep Fried Dub, and the Uber Lingua DJs. Again, the turnout was a little disappointing, especially given the depth of the line-up. I arrived just in time to catch the end of Savona’s set, which was excellent as always – mic duties being handled with aplomb by Jornick, Dizzy Dee, and Mantra. Junior Kelly was next, backed once again by Melbourne’s band-with-no-name, this time joined on guitar by Kelly’s manager Neville, as well as two local backup singers who held their own well. Kelly came out blazing with his song Tough Life on the Truths and Rights riddim, but lost the crowd a little as he progressed into a more lovers-oriented set rather than his harder roots material. While his voice and stage presence were excellent, tunes such as Rasta Should Be Deeper and Boom Draw hinted at how much better the show could have been if his choice of material went more in that direction. Overproof Soundsystem closed the show, and after some initial sound problems, quickly established a nice dub groove. I was particularly impressed with their MC Juggla, who came hard on the mic, and together with singer Messenger Douglas, had Melbourne’s dub fans jumping.

The next international on the horizon is Tanya Stephens, who is slated to appear at the Espy on February 22 – though I still haven’t seen a flyer of any kind. Here’s hoping that if this show is going ahead, promotion steps up in a big way, so that it gets the attendance it deserves. Sadly, the Bunny Wailer tour that was promised for March has been cancelled. Given Bunny’s reluctance to tour, and reputation for being difficult to deal with, I can’t say I’m surprised, but this is disappointing news nevertheless. Hopefully the East Coast Blues Fest will add another big name reggae act to their bill to replace Bunny… watch this space.

Dancehall producers South Rakkas Crew have been putting out quality dancehall riddims for a number of years now, and finding quite a lot of crossover success thanks to their inclusion of grime and electro sounds. They’ll be bringing their live/DJ set to Golden Plains this year, as well as a proper sideshow at Miss Libertine on March 1st. Support on the night comes from Ras Crucial and I, the Apollo Kids, and Cwd - and tickets are only $20, so don’t miss this one if you’re a bashment fan!

On the local gig front… the Riddim Method crew are putting on a special one this Friday night at Croft, with special guests from Sydney; Mikey Glamour and Judgement. A true veteran of the Australian reggae scene, Glamour is arguably the country’s top soundsystem MC, and one thing you can definitely say about him – he’s never boring! Residents Housewife’s Choice will also be joined for this dance by Andy Ites and Bonnita…. Damajah will be performing songs from his forthcoming album on February 22nd at Yard Bounce (Khokolat Bar, 43 Hardware Lane, city) alongside Melvin, Kaya T, and DJ C… February 23rd is Pressure Drop at Laundry, with resident sound Natty Sistren joined by Andy Ites, Jahred Badman, and Twist… March 1st is Heartical Hi-Fi’s monthly Basement Session at the Night Owl, featuring Derek M, Steve Austin, Cassawarrior, and guests Jornick and A13…. and finally, March 8th is More Fire at Brown Alley, featuring Chant Down Sound alongside Rising Tempa, Jesse Jahmal, Foundation Stepper, and new-comer Fadzai.