DJ Format, Carling Academy, Liverpool
Last Sunday (8th May 2005) saw the latest “Funkdub outing” to bring you the best live music within a 25 mile radius. This time? DJ Format featuring MCs Abdominal and D-Sisive at The Carling Academy, Liverpool.
A sunny evening and high winds in Liverpool’s town centre prefigured the tone of the night: mischievous gusts (I’d estimate a 7 on the Beaufort Scale) first had us sniggering like children by lifting a painfully embarrassed woman’s skirt up revealing a rather ropey-looking thong, then relieved 3DJ of his hat, rescued only by the razor-sharp trapping skills of a bloke a clear 400m away.
To the gig, then, and The Academy put on an intimate affair, which was exactly what the small but fiercely loyal crowd were after. Format, Abdominal and D-Sisive got straight to business: snappy, tight beats with both MCs flawless in their execution of rhymes. Both MCs pulling out subversive verse about Liverpool, the Beatles and lunch at Wetherspoons encapsulated the original style of technique, wit and professionalism we witnessed throughout. Music for the Mature B-boy classic ‘The Hit Song’ came next, with Abdominal not only spitting raps with 100Hz-Japanese-TV clarity at the speed of light, but with the humour and intelligence we all expect. This element of best-mate-fun was echoed on stage when the Canadian ducked down on the back of the stage and Format mimed the lines, “Matty? It’s Matt- let me ask you something, Mate/I just come from London: you know we’re meeting with the label/They seem to want another hit, are you available?” in his best Dick van Dyke cokernee accent.
DJ Format (Brighton-based beatsmith Matt Ford) kept himself relatively in the background. Throwing in some turntable trickery every now and then, but never resorting to vinyl self-love, knowing smiles cascaded amongst the crowd, all acknowledging, “Damn. He’s good.’
Abdominal was clearly the master of the two rappers: during one of several chats with the audience, he had us awestruck when in one breath he spat out 8 bars worth of non-stop lyrics. And then did it again- this time in a race while Dan from the crowd attempted to eat breadsticks. D-Sisive summed up what we all thought: “That’s a lotta raps.” Abdominal went on to confirm his status as one of the best true hip-hop MCs in the business with a freestyle performance that was truly incredible. Backed by DJ Format on beats and two members of support act Little Barrie laying a groove down with bass and guitar, Abs was given random themes as bizarre as David Dickinson’s fake tan. Despite not knowing who or what a David Dickinson was, his skill to produce exceptional couplets was undeniable.
If Abdominal is the master, then D-Sisive as apprentice was right on top of his game. On older Format/Abdominal tracks, he backed up Abdominal graciously; and rocked his own lyrics with the swagger of someone who’s been in the game for decades. As rappers go, he doesn’t really look the part (chubby white boy with spectacles), but the boy’s got mad skills, no denying.
A rich mix of older classics, new album singles, B-sides, ad libs and audience participation, coupled with a real sense that the trio were having as much fun as we were (despite being the last leg of the tour) made for a hugely satisfying experience. I was lucky enough to get autographs, but fell short of getting an interview, which nonetheless represents the ‘keeping it real’ aspect of real hip-hop. No bullshit, no egos, just a bunch of artists as amiable on stage as they are dazzling to behold. If you can’t join ‘em, beat ‘em? Well, who would want to join whoever ‘they’ are, if you can beat them in such style?