Goldie Lookin' Chain @ The Refectory
By Holden DeForgeIt's been a bit of a weird day. Walking towards Leeds Uni to interview Goldie Lookin' Chain I'm sure Eggsy walks past me. Sure enough it was. "Where are you Eggsy?" enquires the GLC tour manager down his mobile phone. Eggsy is in town, guess I won't be interviewing him then. Just after seeing Eggsy I noticed that the sign outside Leeds Met has been graffiti'd so it reads "Cardiff Metropolitan University". Had it read Newport I'd have some suspects. Now I'm in the Dry Dock and Howard Marks is sat down having a pint in front of me. Seems like a nice guy.
Leeds University is a shit venue. They should knock it down. The sound is never any good and it's always so damn hot. It's not as if it's some sweaty little club, a room this size should be easy enough to ventilate at least to make it comfortable to stand in there.
With a huge backdrop adorning the stage reading "Safe as fuck" Goldie Lookin' Chain bound onto the stage. The great thing about seeing the band live is that you appreciate how good the tunes are. They're not just getting by on some funny lyrics and cheap jokes. There are grooves here to make you shake your ass, if the lyrics were "sensible" then these songs would still go down rather well I feel.
The band dispatch most of the tunes off of their 'Greatest Hits' debut album along with some other older favourites. Jumping around, arms waving, crossing each other constantly on stage the GLC manage to motivate the crowd and have them singing along to the Hip Hop royalty baiting "Shit To Me" which has 1000+ people singing "FUCK YOU Alicia Keys". Not very polite but most amusing. The band are joined on stage by two people in robot costumes (or cardboard boxes covered in foil) for 'Half Man Half Machine' as Eggsy executes some suitably naff robotics moves.
It's all very well having some witty funny one liners and the novelty of 9 unhealthy men sweating in tracksuits but without the catchy hooks of the tunes that back these tales of local taxi firms, rollerdiscos and smoking illegal substances there wouldn't be much to hold people's interest for very long. Each song is well received by the enthusiastic audience and there's plenty of hands aloft in the air as people get their freak on to Newport's finest Hip Hop grooves. It's the combination of the lyrics and melody that make these songs instantly memorable, none more so than forthcoming single 'Your Mother's Got a Penis'. Everyone's singing along and clearly having a ball. It's a very entertaining set from a bunch of talented, born entertainers.
