As the stage was set up for what is now an annual occurrence of Dreadzone at the Wedgewood Rooms in Portsmouth, it was soon obvious something was missing. There was a gap for where 2nd vocalist Earl 16’s microphone normally stands. As it turned out the reggae singer was due to have appeared, but his plane had unfortunately been delayed.
With guitarist Chris Compton having already left prior to the tour, Dreadzone made a conscious decision to perform this batch of dates without a replacement. Now 2 members down, this was to be a stripped back version of the group, but nothing stops the mighty Dread being anything short of perfect.
The set opened with the first track from new album “Dread Times”, the release leans more to the dub oriented side of the bands output. As such, the lack of live guitars just meant bass player Leo Williams had more room to fill the gaps.
Greg Dread and Leo Williams – Dreadzone
Dreadzone mantra “Life, Love and Unity” was up next, MC Spee already in fine voice as he led both the group and audience into the party. It’s exactly that, the atmosphere at these shows is always something special, along with the chance to put on your dancing shoes and enjoy some great tunes.
Watching Dreadzone for the umpteenth time it’s hard to believe MC Spee hasn’t been there since the beginning. He’s a great frontman, not just in personality but when it comes to both the smooth singing and ragga-style vocals. So was it noticeable that Earl 16 wasn’t there? Well, maybe a little, but this was still as good as any other Dreadzone show.
The setlist pulled mainly from the bands early days and a handful from “Dread Times”. Nothing from 2010 “Eye on the Horizon” and only the classic sound of “Rise up” from the recent “Escapades”. This probably says more about the group’s current direction and lack of Earl 16 than anything else.
As always Dreadzone pretty much sold out the Wedgewood Rooms and although there were a few familiar faces missing, yet again the guys put on one of the gigs of the year. So as 2017 is on the verge of coming to an end, if you missed it, keep a look out for their almost certain return in 2018.
Dreadzone – Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms 2017
