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The weather outside was wild and but The Gov was hot and steamy for a night of soft rhythmic dub with lashings of dumb and bass.
Having been told the wrong set times I unfortunately missed all of support The Mighty Asterix’s set but the crowd seemed enthusiastic upon arrival so he must have been good…( I would be privy to some of his handy work later in the set.)
Credited as being pioneers of New Zealand – œs distinctive mix of dub, reggae, funk, drum and bass and hip hop Salmonella Dub have carved out a well respected career in the past fifteen years, and have cemented themselves as main stayers on the dub scene. Having released over twenty EP’s and albums during their time together they had quite a selection of material to choose from for tonight’s set list.
Casually sauntering onto the stage the boys went straight into Dub Survivor off their 2003 One Drop East album, but during the course of the evening they covered tunes from across their extensive portfolio. Touring to promote their latest offering Freak Controller the boys bought the funk and dropped the beats and you couldn’t help but groove along. At points during the evening you were transported to Rio’s Carnivale, and then into a Zumba class.
Salmonella Dub was ably assisted by a variety of guest vocalists on the night, each bringing their own style. MC Mana stepped up and brought the drum and bass, his frenzied lyrics and high energy had the room busting out their favourite Drum and Bass moves. Rambling and Dub Shakes were some highlights
Next up The Mighty Asterix took to the stage, whereas MC Mana provided the frantic beats and rhymes of drum and bass, Asterix more relaxed and rootsy feel chilled the place right down. But it was the Tuhoe diva herself Whirimako Black that was the highlight for me. She brought more soul than a Harlem Gospel Church. Her powerful vocals, tribal facial tattoos and her general aura had people mesmerised.
The encore was a cover of Bob Marley and the Wailers Get up Stand Up with MC Mana, The Mighty Asterix and Whirimako Black all joining in for the sing-along.
Leaving the stage once more it looked like the night was over only to discover Asterix back on stage, not wanting to go home and Salmonella Dub not wanting to come back on, he decided to take the reins himself for a cappella version of Stevie Wonder’s If It’s Magic, so caught up in the moment he didn’t even realised Whirimako Black had joined him.
Over? No not just yet, and much like a John Farnham Farewell Concert they kept coming back, finally Salmonella Dub joined Asterix for one last song before the dwindling crowd. Finishing in the style they do best, we were left to float out of there high on the experience of seeing one of the pioneers of this style, or perhaps it was from the secondary smoking of spliffs, either way it felt good.
