Morcheeba are one of those bands who claimed their success in the 90’s, making a name for themselves all over Europe. Most folk would remember them from their hit single ‘Rome Wasn’t Built in a Day’ which albeit a sweet tune, does not holistically represent their fusion sound. Blending elements of trip-hop, rock and electronica amongst other things, vocalist Skye Edwards and brothers Paul and Ross Godfrey pulled off a chilled eclectic set to ring in the long weekend, supported by Chali 2na, member of hip hop groups Jurassic 5 and Ozomatli.
Chali 2na’s appearance on stage came later than anticipated to the sounds of a softly spoken intro over keys. Coming in heavy on the bass the J5 MC and his quartet did their best to pump up the initially light crowd. Chali exuded a friendly onstage presence, setting everyone at ease with his soothing baritone voice as he enticed feedback out of the audience throughout the set. He punched out the traditional elements of hip hop in tracks such as ‘Comin Thru’ and ‘Quality Control’ exceedingly well, rapping skills free flowing, at times lyrically charged at a blinding pace at others rhythmically steady.
It also seemed his singing voice was equally as rich and pleasant as discovered during melancholic ballad ‘Righteous Way’. True to the fusion nature of the other two groups he works with, tracks were punctuated by sample based interludes and different genre change-ups resulting in a sound that was persistently interesting and unexpected. This was evident in an Bob Marley reggae inspired intro to ‘Freedom’ as well as a nice cut of Rick James’ ‘Give it to me Baby’ leading into the heavily melodic, club style beat to ‘So Crazy’. A dash of Chicago ragtime, old skool rnb and 80’s synth notes added even more colour to the set.
Morcheeba‘s atmospheric entrance was greeted with wild excitement from the crowd, even though the show wasn’t sold out it seemed like the venue was close to bursting with people from all different walks of life, attracted by the band’s varied style. Lead singer Skye Edwards was a stunning vision in a beautiful black and white dress she admitted to creating herself. The whole band in fact looked quite polished, Edwards husband and bassist Steve Gordon looked quite dapper, as well as keyboardist Richard Mills surrounded by bright red boards. The reggae based melodies produced in opening track ‘Make Believer’ off their latest album Head up High were a big as the band’s collective presence, setting the mood for the rest of the performance.
Edwards has a completely captivating personality, her delicate English accent and bubblyness instantly winning her audience over as she asked what day it was and joked about smoking illegal substances. The twang of a slide guitar hailed in the brooding western tones of ‘Part of the Process’ which was happily sung along to. Similarly the chilled electronica style the band is known for was soaked up and appreciated during track ‘The Sea’.
Edwards asks if anyone’s wearing red shoes as a segway into a big energetic cover of David Bowie’s ‘Let’s Dance’, not musically very different but very well done all the same. Edwards vocals are soft, airy and calming to listen to and at times unfortunately were lost amongst the substantial bass in some of the tracks, their lull and rhythmic colour however translated very well in heartbreak laden ballad ‘Otherwise’. Onstage the six-some looked quite relaxed, swaying to the beats, Edwards pulled out some funky dance moves as an entranced crowd working on awkward ones of their own.
The full extent of their adoration culminated into a chant as the band moved into an older track ‘Trigger Hippy’ Edwards commenting on the size of her guns. A pounding staccato beat got the floor moving with another new tune ‘Release me Now’ before a sea of light up mobiles materialised for ‘I’ll Fall Apart’. The troupe took a break before producing an encore of their most notable and joyfully abundant song ‘Rome Wasn’t Built in a Day’ and ending the night with a surprise cameo from support Chali 2na for disco based track ‘Face of Danger’.
The musical diversity exhibited by Morcheeba is astounding and it’s a shame that it’s not as well known of a fact for even passing fans. Having formed in the 90’s and then split and reformed in the last few years, it’s good to see the group still working together on music that’s so aurally vibrant and enchanting.
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