Labels

Africa Oye Touring and Trading presents: Yellowman & Dillinger Tour featuring the Sagittarius band

On Saturday 1st March, Liverpool venue District played host to two legendary pioneers of Reggae and dancehall. Africa Oye Touring and Trading in association with London Reggae Festival 2000 present an eleven date spring tour over the months of February and March.

I was fortunate enough to attend the gig at District. With both artists having a combined age of 119, I envisaged that the show would be a slow paced and sedate one. How wrong was I? Backed by the Sagittarius band, first to make their appearance was Dillinger. He bounced onto the stage and wowed the crowd with his electric delivery.
Dillinger - District 01/03/14

Singing a multitude of tracks, including "Cocaine in My brain", "Melting pot", "Flat foot hustlin" and "Natty Dread at the ruler", it was clear to see why Dillinger (Nee Lester Bullock) was reputed for his quick wit and humorous lyrical content. The audience lapped him up and his interaction with the crowd was fantastic which endeared them to him even more.
 
After a brief interlude and thank you by Paul Duhaney - artistic director of Africa Oye and host for the evening, Yellowman arrived on stage full of exuberance and magnetism.
 
From the moment that Yellowman appeared on stage, he rarely stood still and barely broke a sweat until the latter part of his set. His connection with the audience was immediate. He sang many of his classics including "Nobody move, nobody get hurt", "Jamaica nice / take me home", "Blueberry hill" and "I'm getting married in the morning" and the epic "Zungguzungguguzungguzeng".

 
Yellowman is the personification of resilience. Despite personal challenges which started from his childhood, being bought up in an orphanage, living with albinism and surviving an aggressive form of cancer, Yellowman is a man who has risen up against adversity. The theme of his set encompassed topics of acceptance, positivity and love. The audience was even treated to a lesson in sex education!


What struck me about Yellowman's performance the most was his endless energy, his humility and his connection with the audience. He repeatedly asked Liverpool how they were doing and you could tell that he really cared and meant it. This gig exceeded my expectations massively. The vibe in the club was amazing. There was nothing but peace and love within the venue, something that this genre of music advocates.
 
 
The veteran Sagittarius band was phenomenal and provided the perfect accompaniment to the two stars. Not forgetting the Beaten track DJ's who warmed the crowd up nicely, getting them in the right mindset for the show that was about to ensue. They dropped some serious reggae tunes for the hours preceding the performance.
 
 
For more info on the tour please visit Africa Oye Touring and trading.

Remaining Tour dates - March 2014:






Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts