UNKLE’s Monkey Man

Lavelle Joined By Ian Brown for London show

02 March 2008 - UNKLE had a queue of stars lining up behind them as they returned to London’s Brixton Academy last night.

Ian Brown, Badly Drawn Boy and Duke Spirit’s Leila Moss all but stole the show from super-producer James Lavelle, who played a selection from the band’s back catalogue as well as the latest album, War Stories .

Brown got the biggest cheers of the night when he appeared first to rekindle Reign and later Be There. Also drawing from UNKLE’s first album Psyence Fiction , Badly Drawn Boy stepped in to provide vocals for Nursery Rhyme / Breather.

Lavelle used the guest vocalists as a star touch on top of a hefty setup that combined a live band, DJ and some special effects and visuals from the man himself.

The gig was the last of four they’ve played in the UK this year to promote what is the first fresh material in four years. It’s more rock-focused than previous work – particularly 1998’s Psyence Fiction which was co-produced with DJ Shadow.

It was in the vein of newer, more guitar-orientated songs that Moss fitted in, singing on Mayday.

Rather inevitably, given that UNKLE’s history includes work with Richard Ashcroft, Massive Attack and Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme, there were some notable omissions.

None of the above were available on the night, to the disappointment of some.

Some hopeful whispers in the crowd suggested Thom Yorke might drop in for Rabbit in Your Headlights, a track that DJ Shadow still plays on tour. The Radiohead frontman was, however, sadly absent.


Rodrigo Davies