Nightmares on Wax, Hare and Hounds, Birmingham - review

Last night he performed at the Hare and Hounds in Kings Heath alongside his band, featuring legendary Leeds vocalist LSK, and singer Sadie Walker, touring their new record Shape the Future.

While it is difficult to define their music specifically, they are known for a smooth fusion of reggae, jazz, trip-hop, and world music.

LSK’s vocals were phenomenal, and he had the room enthralled with his silky lyrics on songs from his most recent track Tomorrow.

Another Nighmares on Wax collaborator, Sadie Walker, performed more new material with Deep Shadows.

It's very rare that you get to appreciate artists of this calibre in intimate surroundings, such that the Hare and Hounds provides.

Much of the set was performed with the artists sitting down at their instruments, which meant that those at the back had a very limited view of the band. However, by the stage the atmosphere was electric and everybody was dancing towards the end of the evening.

The set started out with a lot of new material, leading into the more well-known numbers, and then upping the tempo gradually with some of their classic songs from previous albums.

The new album is heavily focussed on world consciousness, and Evelyn spent a few moments talking about various charity causes that he is involved with.

This event was sold out a good three weeks in advance, and while the venue’s capacity is a maximum of 250, this lent itself well to the 'club-like' nature of this particular brand.

Nearing the end of the night, Evelyn summed up the event with a percussion-backed ode to the power of positive thinking, another theme featured heavily on their new album.

While perhaps not for those of a more cynical nature, his new material definitely has a world vision, which was the prominent theme of the evening.

The Hare and Hound has a reputation for bringing the very best underground music to Birmingham - indeed they were the first to play host to UB40 in 1979.

And it did not disappoint last night. The event had it all - a fantastic atmosphere, in an iconic venue with a truly great showcase from Nightmares on Wax.

A great night out, hands down.