Review: De La Soul

Three is a Magic Number as they kick-start their residency in the UK capital

28 August 2008 - 20 years after their first ever gig in London, De La Soul returned last night for the first of a five night residency at the city’s Jazz Café.

The legendary hip hop three piece formed in 1988 and throughout a career spanning two decades De La Soul have made 8 albums, been honoured at the Grammy’s and made an essential contribution to the evolution of a jazz-rap subgenre.

Tonight they kicked off with their classic track and debut single Potholes In My Lawn taken from their groundbreaking 1989 record Three Feet High and Rising .

This album famously introduced De La Soul’s concept of the D.A.I.S.Y age and won them the title ‘neo hippy.’

However there was nothing hippy about them tonight as they sweated through their New York Yankees tracksuit tops and baseball caps and bounced up and down in heavy Timberland boots.

Despite David Jude Jolicoeur declaring it was his 40th birthday in two weeks he and his two fellow band-mates, Kelvin Mercer (Pos) and Vincent Mason (Maseo) jumped around the stage and joked with the audience as though they were not a day older than 19.

The 300 capacity crowd were like putty in their hands especially when they played hits such as Vibrations and Me Myself and I.

Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey), which reached number 10 in 1991, also got the audience throwing some serious shapes.

De La Soul are seasoned entertainers and as well as a game of musical statues, they instigated a sing off between different sections of the crowd, invited audience members to join them on stage and ended the gig with a lap of honour of the room which saw them shaking hands, chatting to, and having their photographs taken with adoring fans.

“This is the third time I’ve seen them at the Jazz Café. I saw them in 1991 and they were as good tonight as they ever were.”

The set list included some new material which sounded more frenetic and electronic than the band’s older classics.

It wasn’t received as well and there was a general feeling amongst punters after the gig that they could have played more hits – especially at £32 - £50 a ticket.

Surprisingly they did not play their biggest hit The Magic Number or collaboration with Gorillaz, Feel Good Inc. which reached number 2 in the charts.

Other well known tracks such as Say No Go or Eye Know were also conspicuously absent.

In some ways it was refreshing that De La Soul refused to churn out a predictable 20 year anniversary set, but this fan wasn’t alone in thinking their old material is still their best: “There wasn’t enough old stuff and I wish they’d played The Magic Number. Their old stuff is their greatest stuff definitely. There should have been more old stuff.”

The set was simple with only the group, three mikes and CD turn tables on stage.

The use of CD’s is one thing that’s certainly changed since they first played the UK but according to the die hard fans De La Soul sound as fresh now as they did 20 years ago: “They were absolutely brilliant. They always are. This is the third time I’ve seen them at the Jazz Café. I saw them in 1991 and they were as good tonight as they ever were.”

Elizabeth Alker