Ghostpoet and Alt-J
 |
| © Sarah Christian |
Where: Lancaster
Library
When: 25th
February 2012
Who: Alt-J and
Ghostpoet
With 8.30pm fast approaching and technical difficulties
resolved, Lancaster library opened its doors to a crowd buzzing with
anticipation of the evening ahead of them. The sound of Alt-J, a four-piece
formed in Leeds and currently touring with the likes of Wild Beasts, welcomed
an audience eager to revel in the cutting edge music being showcased tonight as
Ghostpoet is welcomed to the ‘Get-it-loud in libraries’ stage. Defining
themselves as ‘jump-folk’ and ‘trip-folk’, the band brought thundering bass,
moving harmonies and hip-hop drumbeats whilst keys and guitar riffs weave
around each other leaving their audience forever wanting more. A gripped
audience are taken through tracks from their unpredictable, yet accessible,
demo. Tracks such as ‘Matilda’ and ‘Fitzpleasure’ show they’re a band able to
please a crowd with their music and by the end of their accomplished set Alt-J
leave holding high expectations for what their future holds, I certainly do.
A rearrangement and sound-check later and what started as a
buzz has been lifted to sheer vivacity as an exhilarated crowd await London MC Obaro Ejimiwe, better known as his alias Ghostpoet. When the
Mercury Prize nominee does take to the stage it’s to an audience that are responsive,
jovial and high in spirits. Offering two promising new tracks, complete with
catchy guitar riffs and pertinent lyrics, alongside those taken from his
genre-defying album ‘Peanut Butter Blues and Melancholy Jam’ which have
delighted audiences up and down the country, Ghostpoet succeeded in giving the
library a night which it won’t forget too easily. Innocently asking whether to
pronounce the night’s venue as Lancaster or ‘Lancar-ster’, revealing his
southerly roots, Ghostpoet brought a smile to the face of everyone in the room
as he too looked to be enjoying the evening’s revelry just as much as his
satisfied fans.
Finishing his set with the brilliant ‘Cash & Carry Me
Home’ Ejimiwe has the whole place jumping, in a library of all places, to an
extended version of the song that nobody wants to end. When Ghostpoet does
leave the stage he does so with a smile on his face and a confession that he
has ‘never been hot and sweaty in a library before!’ Venturing into the
appreciative crowd after the gig and meeting his public, he is assured by many
that this Lancaster audience have never had such a memorable time, nor made
such an incredible noise in a library before; it’s a night of firsts for all.
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