BLUE KING BROWN

Thursday 22 nd March

A lot of reggae artists can move a room, but there are few that can move an entire Unibar crowd to abandoned frenzied movement and seconds later into a peaceful sit, squat or lie on the floor...

Blue King Brown can, and at their March gig at Unibar they once again proved why their constant touring is paying off as they cement their place as one of the slickest and most soulful live acts in Australia .

It was a chilled crew at Unibar on Thursday night, but there was a distinct air of anticipation about the place. NFa (previously of 1200 Techniques, now gone solo) played a sweet set, full of pep and funk, and prepped the stage nicely for the headliners.

By the time the Blue King Brown crew made their way on stage one by one with an extended instrumental intro- the air of anticipation had been well and truly replaced by total hype. When lead-vocalist Natali Pa'apa'a, appeared on stage brandishing a megaphone and chanting "Revolution", the atmosphere was electric. And for the rest of the set BKB kept up the pace.

Blue King Browns unique fusion of reggae, funk and dancehall combined with highly politicised lyrics, was well received by the liberal uni audience and turned UniBar into a sweatbox. Special kudos to the exceptionally tight performance from percussion and drums ( Salvador Persico and Peter Wilkins respectively) , and from the soulful backup vocals of Ngaiire (yeah, she's the one that used to be on Idol) and Hayley Cramar.

While the set was tight, BKB did enjoy a substantial amount of glory basking in the super extended and sometimes tedious solos from each (very talented, granted) band member, and could be criticised for laying on the self promotion a little thick - though this reviewer is willing to let it slide given the state of the Independent music scene in Australia these days.

Closing the set with the Triple J favourite 'Check your Head', Blue King Brown left the crowd with a sense of well being, a drive to make a change, and offered an opportunity to share in music and life together peacefully. All in a Thursday nights work.