Dels. The Hippodrome, Kingston 18/8/11

Middle Boop Radar

The Hippodrome, from my experience is one of those venues, which you can only really enjoy if you’re absolutely lampshaded, and it’s definitely not your average choice for a night out, even if some brilliant bands choose to play there…but this time was an exception. Dels was on the bill for Banquet Records club night New Slang. There were several umm’s and arr’s about whether to go considering it was GSCE/A-level result day, knowing that the place would be absolutely jam packed with pissed up teenagers, but the allure of a fellow Kingston graduate was too much for some, including myself. And we were spot on with our presumptions that it was just too much of a good performance to miss.

Everyone in the crowd was hyped and the atmosphere only got more exciting when Kieren came onstage. There was no need for him to warm up: everyone knew who he was and we were all expecting something brilliant to happen. The drummer began pounding his kit furiously and everyone seemed to get into character. They blasted open the set with ‘Gob’ which was the perfect track to get the crowd into a frenzy (there was no messing about with easing the crowd into this performance) and dropping into the brilliant ‘Eyes Down’ remix, which made for an intense viewing.

Right from the start there were some awful drunken kids at the front, demanding, screaming even, for Dels to ‘touch their hands’ which made things weird and embarrassingly awkward, but this didn’t seem to phase the talented MC, as he closed his eyes and told stories of make believe worlds, his hung-over trips and terrible past 9-5 jobs. As I’ve seen time and time again with this brilliant young artist, whether the place was packed, or empty, it wouldn’t matter. He seems to transport himself to a world where all the things he raps about come true, in his own personal space, which we’re all invited into. Wherever he is, he’s playing to his perfect crowd who’s as passionate about his music as he is. Minor heckling also doesn’t daunt his band; Dels takes the brunt and graciously accepts to touch their hands towards the end.

Easing through his set, illustrating every lyric like reaching up to “touch the sky” he seems to have such presence which the audience can relate to. He introduces each track as though he were just playing to his friends at a house party, as well as his last track, saying “this is my last one…I got special powers…” smashing straight into ‘Shapeshift’ which he played with as much passion as his songs before but (if possible) with even more gusto. He leaves the stage as the crowd are on a high, chanting and shouting for him to come back…

Which he does, obviously! “This is the last one for sure” easing into ‘Capsize’ which the crowd goes completely wild for, as though we had been infected by a small piece of the Dels buzz. The whole set was dramatic, and intimate. He plays one last track (Hydronenburg), leaving us all feeling as though we had witnessed something special.

If you ever get the chance to see his talented MC play live, take it, although he speaks of the every day, you won’t feel the same about those subjects again.