Dels
Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen, London
07/04/2011

Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen is full to capacity with punters foaming at the mouth at the prospect of hearing one of British music’s most intriguing new talents, Ipswich wunderkind Kieren ‘DELS‘ Dickens. The rapper does nothing to diffuse the tension in the air. The Fly spies him sitting, looking decidedly queasy, at the side of the stage during Big Dada label mate Elan Tamara’s set. Dickens’ nerves are completely unnecessary, and when he takes to the stage the metamorphosis from boy to star is complete.

He greets the audience humbly and leans into his mic like Zack de la Rocha on a particularly angry day, and we soon realise that this is no typical mainstream hip-hop show. He rips through tracks from debut album ‘Gob’ with ferocity, panache and intelligence matched only by his outstanding backing band. The magic of DELS‘ live performance lies in his astute lyrical observations, attention to rhythmic detail and a clear passion for music of many different genres – this is not an artist who is afraid to experiment.

Further instrumental support is provided by Kwes, who, along with Micachu and Hot Chip’s Joe Goddard has produced some of the standout songs on the album, including ‘Gob’ – a rousing electro-grime anthem that has already been remixed by TV On The Radio’s Dave Sitek – high praise indeed. Other standout moments include the Goddard-produced ‘Trumpalump’ with its squeaky beats and euphoric electronic build up, and final track ‘Shapeshift’, on which he spits “I’m a bird, I’m a tree, I’m a bike, I’m a plane, I’m the ground underneath your feet, I’m the rain in the sky, I’m a cloud, I’m the sun, I’m a star…” He’s not a bird, a tree or any of the rest of it, but we certainly won’t argue with those last three words.

Laura Vevers