Public Enemy, live at The Button Factory

It’s 10 minutes to showtime and Public Enemy’s hype man is reminding us of the cardinal rules of hip-hop – ‘one love’ and ‘no violence’.
Sadly, they’ve been serially broken by 50 Cent, Lil Wayne, DMX, Gucci Mane and the other Neanderthal yo-ing, ho-ing and bitchin’ types, who are too busy turning themselves into multifuckingnational corporations to concern themselves with social activism.

While the aura of danger that accompanied them when they were straight outta Long Island has long since evaporated – the S1W boys look more like Right Said Fred video escapees tonight than community-defending paramilitaries – Public Enemy still bring a revolutionary zeal with them as well as the noise.
The Clash comparisons have been made before, but Chuck D and Flavor Flav really are the Joe Strummer and Mick Jones of rap, their wildly contrasting styles and personalities the reason why their band is still playing to full houses after 26 years.
Sporting some nifty funki dredds, Flav is in fine fettle as he enthuses about Public Enemy’s recent induction into the Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame and Maggie T shuffling off this mortal coil.
“This is the first time I’ve made fun of somebody’s death,” he cackles before launching into a rousing chorus of ‘Ding Dong The Bitch (sic) Is Dead’.
While not as up on his current affairs as Chuck – 800 Button Factory punters wince in unison when he moves the Chinese earthquake disaster to Japan – Flav is a master entertainer in the James Brown mould and surprisingly together for a man once so devoted to frying his own brain.
New tune ‘I Shall Not Be Moved’ impresses, but it’s the big hits like ‘911 Is A Joke’, ‘Rebel Without A Pause’ and the awesome Shirley Bassey-sampling ‘Harder Than You Think’ that get the pit moshing.