Live Review

Sage Francis – Stereo, Glasgow

• 20th Sep 2010

Over the past week or so there have been a variety of memorials from September 11th commemorations to memories of the blitz and the papal visit all it would seem, perfectly coinciding with Sage Francis’ UK tour. All of the acts tonight are either thoughtful or thought provoking.

Hip-hop is the punk movement of the new age. Tupac Shakur’s Ghetto Gospel or the The Game & 50Cent’s Hate It or Love It, to name but two mainstream examples, there are countless more B. Dolan and Sage Francis are tonight’s political, socially minded hipsters, in a parliament all of their own of raw confrontation. Their politics are not Democrat/Republican or Labour/Tory, but of the people.

B. Dolan is an agent provocateur of the finest quality. Harsh and unrelenting there is no holding him back as he sticks his middle finger at anyone who would talk trash. Plenty of interaction between him and the crowd there is lively banter and jokes like “The pope was in a car crash, he was rushed in to hospital. The pope says ‘Am I in heaven?’ The nurse replies ‘No, you are in the children’s ward’”. Still, the jokes are not why people have come to see him, it is the love for him people give their time. When you hear what he has to spit with the prowess any of those on a hip-hop legends CD.

“Remix” of M.I.A.’s Paper Planes proves the fundamental epitaph of a set well honed and delivered faster than Fed-EX as he rips shreds and provides comedic poses. The hook is “All I wanna do is get rich and rob y’ culture” as he gives advice and argues for the remoulding of society, to start a fresh. B. Dolan is the one who uses his platform as a soapbox.

To kick the journey through an intimate, but heavily atheist tirade of enlightenment values, Sea Lion lays the foundation of animalistic charm, bravery and bravado never seen and never to be matched and spans a career of thirteen years and counting. Followed by other classics from A Healthy Distrust, the theme of anti-clericalism continues with Escape Artist, laying into the pretentiousness of fame for the sake of fame and the angry Slow Down Ghandi about how politics is on “everyone’s this hot this summer list”. The contemplative antics of the hypocritical ‘chardonnay socialist’ bourgeoisie an easy, but apt target when they “wouldn’t even stand up at a cricket convention/Who would they die for?”

Showcasing some of the tracks from the latest hiatus of political hip-hop far surpassing anything which could be served up by the likes of N.W.A. or Public Enemy, there is real and genuine warmth as videos are recorded to make the memories come pouring back as quickly as the sweat dripping of each of Sage’s eyebrows. He works hard for his fans and followers, no-one else. The anti gangster satire continues with Gunz Yo another classic is whipped out as bondage between man and microphone makes for ample love making.

Bridle, a rare lost love hip-hop track, befits the place as the penultimate track from a set ranging from headstrong to heart soft. Never has an audience said “I’d never thought I’d miss you” something the Sage would beat box challenge us to. Another near perfect example of a platform being used as a soapbox, it makes it worth the entire struggle.

He has been going since the late 1990s and will hopefully continue for at least as long, finishing the night with The Best Of Times, “When you think you got it all figured out and then everything collapses, trust me kid it’s not the end of the world. Peace”.