ADHESIVE LIVE

Colston Hall, Bristol | February 1st

With Bristol heavy hitters including Roni Size, Joker, Buggsy, Shadz, Javeon McCarthy, Laid Black and others coming together with a twenty piece classical ensemble at the city’s Colston Hall, also featuring 3D visuals and animations, Adhesive Live amounted to a night billed as “a truly audio/visual extravaganza”. On paper, it was a salivating prospect.

However, despite its name, on the night there was nothing adhesive on show. It became a scrappy showcase montage, due largely to curatorial and technical, rather than musical, issues. You’ve sorted the line up, you’ve got the venue, even some Red Bull sponsorship, but somehow failed to ensure your event is audible, fluid, and enjoyable. Firstly, squeezing such an extensive line-up into a three to four hour duration, complete with intervals, was unnecessary and clunky, so that any stronger points, such as Laid Black’s opening showing, Joker’s bassy rumblings, Buggsy’s energy or Roni Size’s classic bangers – including a promising glimpse of the forthcoming Reprazent album – all felt somewhat cut short.

There was a clear lack of continuity. The only continuous theme was the disappointing sound quality doing the musicians on stage no favours. It was, at points, like listening to a giant alarm clock radio inside a steel drum, as sound bounced around and became lost within the spacious concert hall, particularly from our high vantage point. It was an odd and unexpected problem to occur in a venue so well regarded in Bristol.

In fact, it seems difficult to truly judge any of the individuals’ performances in such conditions. Vocals became incoherent, beats tinny. There was a string section that were to be seen but not heard, and even the brass section only became truly audible when they hit a single note in unison. This was meant to be a key element of the night, but it fell flat, much like the supposed 3D visuals, which were repetitive and basic. What was proposed as a decadent banquet turned out to be an insipid, unseasoned sampler menu.

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Words: Claude Barbé-Brown