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Vauxhall Tribes @ Kennington Park, London - 9 September, 2006

Reviewed by Ashley Charles

The art of Hip-Hop was born on America’s East Coast and raised on its West, but for three hours on Saturday 9^thSeptember, it resided comfortably underneath a marquee in Kennington Park, South London.

With a queue that stretched teasingly along the inside of the park entrance, many were turned away from this ticket-only event. But those fortunate enough to get under the roof were afforded a truly unforgettable display.

The second annual Vauxhall Tribes event showcased the finest in breaking, scratching, beat boxing and street dancing from some of the UK’s most talented contenders. BBC 1xtra’s radio double act Ace & Invisible fittingly hosted the event with an improvised script as spontaneous as the very freestylers they introduced.

‘Funkstylerz’, a young dance collective who have worked with acclaimed artists as diverse as Madonna and Sean Paul, opened the show with a charismatic Brooklyn-style B-Boy battle on the main stage. The break dance troupe offered their expertise as part of the event’s interactive open-floor which saw attendees participating in workshops; an opportunity that proved to be the event’s most inspiring feature.

“It’s good that everyone gets have a go at the individual activities, you’ve even got small kids learning how to beat box,” observes Ace, almost inaudibly over the show’s vociferous sound system. And indeed, it was the beat boxing corner that attracted the largest number of aspiring hopefuls. The UK’s finest mouth musicians, Shlomo, Wandan and 2006 Human Beat Box Champion Beardyman astounded the audience with their ability to manifest symphonies with a voice box and a microphone. They proved that the art of beat box is truly a phenomenon beyond description, forming beats so intricate that you’d swear you were being misled.

But the show was stolen effortlessly by Flawless, the International Street-dance Champions - eleven men with a talent so overwhelming that it cannot be done justice with words. Dressed in sharp white suits and new-era fitteds, they mesmerised the audience with a display that was truly without flaws. Every pop, lock, glide and body wave was executed with the precision and synchrony of a marching army.

The event’s only shortcoming came from the fact that they didn’t conclude with Flawless’ performance. It was undoubtedly an impossible act to follow and everything after it was easily forgettable. Some mediocre freestyling from a less than credible MC caused the crowd to grow restless, and despite momentary salvation from turntablist act, The Disabilists, you can only watch a DJ at work for so long.

But in all, Vauxhall Tribes was a resounding success with events like this being an overdue necessity in the current climate of an urban mainstream; proving that the UK can do it just as well as our American counterparts.

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	Vauxhall Tribes @ Kennington Park, London - 9 September, 2006 Reviewed by Ashley Charles The art of Hip-Hop was born on America’s East Coast and raised on its West, but for three hours on Saturday 9^thSeptember, it resided comfortably underneath a marquee in Kennington Park, South London. With a queue that stretched teasingly along the inside of the park entrance, many were turned away from this ticket-only event. But those fortunate enough to get under the roof were afforded a truly unforgettable display. The second annual Vauxhall Tribes event showcased the finest in breaking, scratching, beat boxing and street dancing from some of the UK’s most talented contenders. BBC 1xtra’s radio double act Ace & Invisible fittingly hosted the event with an improvised script as spontaneous as the very freestylers they introduced. ‘Funkstylerz’, a young dance collective who have worked with acclaimed artists as diverse as Madonna and Sean Paul, opened the show with a charismatic Brooklyn-style B-Boy battle on the main stage. The break dance troupe offered their expertise as part of the event’s interactive open-floor which saw attendees participating in workshops; an opportunity that proved to be the event’s most inspiring feature. “It’s good that everyone gets have a go at the individual activities, you’ve even got small kids learning how to beat box,” observes Ace, almost inaudibly over the show’s vociferous sound system. And indeed, it was the beat boxing corner that attracted the largest number of aspiring hopefuls. The UK’s finest mouth musicians, Shlomo, Wandan and 2006 Human Beat Box Champion Beardyman astounded the audience with their ability to manifest symphonies with a voice box and a microphone. They proved that the art of beat box is truly a phenomenon beyond description, forming beats so intricate that you’d swear you were being misled. But the show was stolen effortlessly by Flawless, the International Street-dance Champions - eleven men with a talent so overwhelming that it cannot be done justice with words. Dressed in sharp white suits and new-era fitteds, they mesmerised the audience with a display that was truly without flaws. Every pop, lock, glide and body wave was executed with the precision and synchrony of a marching army. The event’s only shortcoming came from the fact that they didn’t conclude with Flawless’ performance. It was undoubtedly an impossible act to follow and everything after it was easily forgettable. Some mediocre freestyling from a less than credible MC caused the crowd to grow restless, and despite momentary salvation from turntablist act, The Disabilists, you can only watch a DJ at work for so long. But in all, Vauxhall Tribes was a resounding success with events like this being an overdue necessity in the current climate of an urban mainstream; proving that the UK can do it just as well as our American counterparts. Return To Concert Review Archive
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