Six Nation State
Live (Hip Hop Farmers / Loose Caboose)
Hip Hop Farmers don’t waste any time starting the night, hurtling into a chaotic number straight from a turntable intro. Between two MCs, a bassist, a turntablist, a keyboard player who twilights with the saxophone, you can imagine the cosy stage is barely enough to contain them.
Reeling off cheerful track after upbeat track with a fantastic atmosphere and energy. God knows how they’d ever record, they just want to have fun; and plenty of it. So it’s not long before the bikini-clad drummer makes a b-line for the audience spreading the infectious dancing happening on stage. If you managed to stay still through their set, you must have had your feet stapled to the floor.
I guess only a fellow MC could understand the lyrics spat out at the speed of light, but it works perfectly with the turntable scratching. A band with a very talented bunch of fingers; be it the scratch DJ, keyboard licks or the saxophone. Some old-school rapping and heavy basslines are mocked by the guys’ entertaining decision to dress up (or down!) for the occasion; skirts, bikinis even an oh-so-sexy nurse’s outfit. If you were lucky enough to be at the front, you might have caught a few lifts of those skirts. Despite the floral patterns, with their fantastic stage presence, these guys are the epitome of cool.
Loose Caboose look like they’ve just walked off stage at Glastonbury with their cheery indie feel. Catchy riffs and punchy tunes; they sound like they’ve just been drafted out of the Kooks or Arctic Monkeys, with the vocals to go with it. Everyone seemed to enjoy it, but technical difficulties, mid-set, put the brakes on. With a drum solo to fill the gap, it wasn’t long before they’re back into the swing of things. The need to retune again means another solo, but this time with some bass to funk it up. All is not lost.
There’s not a lot of movement on stage, but between-song fillers seem enough to get the crowd going and on-stage banter between the Hip Hop Farmers and Loose Caboose ensures a fun atmosphere. Some of the riffs and setups are far too familiar, but with the radio rock around at the moment, their time is now.
With the amount of hair flailing around among the members of Six Nation State, it’s a wonder no one was blinded. The folky, upbeat riffs are unexpected from the five-piece donned in black jackets and waistcoats.
Plenty of woah-oh-ohs and sing-along tunes make up some perfect radio rock. Whatever you may think, you can’t argue with the crowd; packed out and enjoying themselves. Rightly so. Plenty of harmonies backing vocals, and a mid-set song dedicated to the smoking ban and they’ve definitely put a different spin on a night that’s had it all, from hip-hop to indie.
It’s not long before the video camera comes out and fans invade the stage, filmed for the band’s blog. Next, they take it to a funk-filled tune, with some raw vocals and plenty of shouting. A versatile singer projects plenty of uh-ohs and it’s not long before it gets slightly predictable. If it’s not the oh’s it’s the la’s.
Before they leave the stage for the evening, guitars in hand, they treat us to a well-rehearsed dance sequence with plenty of poses that would put the Quo to shame. With every member near a mic, there’s certainly no emptiness to their sound, and if there was I’m sure the adoring crowd would make up for it.
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Written by Brayer on
