London and NYC Club and Concert Listings
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Concert Review: NSM - Jazz Cafe Wednesday 21 April 2004
Writer: Sanjiv Ahluwalia
It started with an intense stare. The young drummer strolled down the stairs, complete with baseball cap, track suit
trousers and tee shirt looking like he was ready to box. And box he did – the drums, that is – with a heavyweight punch
moving behind the beat, clipping the rim shots and staring intensely across the stage. This percussion, at times done hip
hop style to mesmeric head nod effect, pounded the audience into the ‘ring’. Though the drummer later loosened up, jokingly
throwing things at the band, he kept complete control of the rhythm for the entire show, pushing the rest of the band
musically a little further with his mountain of beats.
The prelude of Penny Drop (one of the few tracks played from the London band's last album) streamed into Don’t Say It - again
punctuated by tight, tough drumming. The latter had an 80's soul feel to it (little bits of synths mixing with a nice
guitar hook) and the quartet of singers, including the very talented Eska, performed with proper ‘soul’, singing from the
deep within.
The more down-tempo Soon Come took the street soul feeling further. An irresistible groove (samples, bass and guitar)
layered the song, its melancholic feel and touching lyrics holding the audience close; it came across like an updated
version of a mid-era Loose Ends track. Indeed, it’ll be interesting to see if NSM (as they like to be called) can follow
Loose Ends' success in the U.S. However, Soon Come also showed why New Sector Movements’ work and that of some of their
American contemporaries might fail to take off in the US: while New Sector Movements give us music with a rootsy touch,
the Americans favour more gloss.
Other tracks that were played included Heat It Up which had elements of punk with its thrash rock feel, (this continues a
rock-funk sound favoured by Kamal the Abstract, Common, The Roots, and N.E.R.D) and She’s Got Soul, with acres of street
soul delivered in a competent, confident fashion. The rendition of Reality Fame incorporated the unexpected with
its fat
Funkadelic bass lines, day-glo keys, a church type organ, and some irresistible Cockney vocals. And Trying Times
was given a new lease of life two thirds of the way through.
Suddenly out went the franchised beats, the street soul grooves, and the church singing, and in came a riot of descarga
beats and shantytown Afro grooves. The stage lit up, the band and the crowd danced and the venue exploded. This is where
the future of New Sector Movements lies.
Throughout the evening the band were relaxed and clearly enjoyed themselves, chatting with the crowd and improvising.
The more up-tempo bursts of musical energy and some very competent soloing were greeted with much enthusiasm from a very
up-for-it crowd. Some beautiful melodies were twisted around infectious guitar playing by Eric Appapoulay who really came
into his own on Sho You Right with some delightfully engaging playing and scat. Sadly though, the bass player wasn’t
Appapoulay’s equal, following him up with a very poor solo.
The show did sometimes come across as an extended jam and there was a lack of song structure with some extended solos not
really going anywhere. There was also a lack of animation on stage compared to The Roots or Two Banks of Four (both bands
have successfully moved from a prominent studio or club sound to the live arena). However, it must be remembered that
this was New Sector Movement’s first live outing. With time and a few changes we will have a dangerously good live band.
RELATED LINKS:
Review of Turn It Up - on Know The Ledge
Discography
Buy NSM's Turn It Up album at Amazon UK
(CD /
Vinyl)
PUBLISHED: Sunday 9 May 2004
More Reviews
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::: RELATED LINKS
Discography
Buy NSM's Turn It Up album at Amazon UK
(CD /
Vinyl)
More Reviews
|
