Saul Williams @ GaelicTheatre, Sydney (05/01/07)

Mon 8th Jan, 2007 in Gig Reviews

As is usually the case with the terminally average-sized people of this world, much of my view of Saul William’s performance was obscured by three more or less identical gentlemen, of stature plenty (around six foot three, as it happens), who saw fit to stand directly in front of the 5”8 guy with his notebook and modestly sized beer. But, stupid complaints about heads in my way aside, the evening was a complete pleasure.

Beginning around fifteen minutes late (hey, who needs to be on time these days-it’s the 21st century), on padded act one of the night- Dzcyple Last. Dzcyple, a South-African born rapper/poet, began the night with a preface explaining his inspiration to do an acapella performance, before launching into some vaguely standard rhymes. The subjects, while broad-ranging, suffered from a bit of a lack of subtlety and poignancy. Next, was Miles Merril. Part noir-style narration, part Tom Waits, and with a sizeable stock of coyly played characters, Merrill’s one of the most entertaining acts I’ve seen. Probably offensive to almost everyone at least once, Miles’ arsenal of apocalyptic spiels, criminal escapades, and foul-mouthed tributes to the children a public school , this is one act that definitely deserves to be seen. The last support slot boasted Apsci, a pretty standard hip-hop group with the twist of an soprano-voiced vocalist.

Now, to the star of the evening, a one mister Saul Williams; spoken-word poet, singer, actor. You name it, ol’ Saul’s usually got his finger pressed to the pulse of it, in all likeliness  throttling  the living hell out of it, in the most affirmative and inspirational way possible. The pulse of this evening’s performance was a vibrating thickness, cushioning the crowd, lifting us into hip hop’s deepest and most resonant territories. Having just co-written and produced an album with Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails), I was pretty excited to hear the root of this long-heard hype. And his performance far exceeded any expectations I might’ve been building up, the only complaint being that the length of the set could’ve been a bit longer. But the slight absence of time is to be expected from such a concentrated dosage of social commentary, interweaved with the industrial beats and harsh noises emanating from his two resident DJing band members. “Happy New Year, Sydney”, Williams smiled.

We were taken on a hard-hitting journey into troubled minds, tormented tirades brimming with the advocating of breaking down racial stereotypes, and any number of other subjects Williams has expertly woven into his rhymes. Interspersed between the heavy beats and whip-delivered lines were a selection of acapella spoken-word pieces. Most stirring of the evening’s many songs was a truly moving piece recited from, “Said The Shotgun To The Head”, his first book. Some around were speechless at the utter poignancy and honesty of the poem, and could do nothing save but raise hands in the air; cheering ecstatically. Saul Williams is one of the most enthralling, humble and entertaining performers I’ve seen. See him at any opportunity. Just don’t stand in front of me.