A stellar performance by Canada’s Cadence Weapon gets the evening off to a promising start, before brothers Hank and Keith Shocklee, who together comprise Public Enemy production team the Bomb Squad, treat us to a cracking DJ set of jungle and dubstep.
A few technical glitches have delayed PE’s entrance, but when they finally burst onstage at 10pm with an incendiary ‘Bring The Noise’, the venue erupts. Chuck D and Flava Flav, both in fine voice, command the stage like two proud lions strutting around their lair.
‘Don’t Believe The Hype’ is as vital as it ever was, and ‘Louder Than A Bomb’ does exactly what it says on the tin, ‘Mind Terrorist’ blows your cerebral cortex, while ‘Party For Your Right To Fight’ practically inspires a mini-riot.
Although The Security of the First World dancers in their army fatigues are part militia/part Motown, and turntablist DJ Lord’s scratching defies the laws of physics, all eyes are on the two compelling frontmen. With Flava playing the joker to Chuck D’s straight man, they are essentially Dave Vanian and Captain Sensible’s hip hop counterparts.
The high-octane set is punctuated by friendly banter, some Bush-bashing and reminiscences about the seminal album we are here to celebrate.
The explosive encore, which features ‘He Got Game’ and a climactic ‘Fight The Power’, is nothing short of sensational. Quite simply, the music is so potent that its relevance is timeless. It’s a sad reality that hip-hop today is dominated by jaded rhetoric and songs about bling, girls and cars. Thankfully, though, Public Enemy are still with us, and their live shows remain as astonishingly powerful as ever. Yeah, booyyyeee…