LEE SCRATCH PERRY and MAD PROFESSOR – THE BROOK, SOUTHAMPTON, 10th March 2016

Dub reggae fans arrived in Southampton for what was to be a coming together of two of the genres pioneers, Mad Professor has been transforming the scene since the early 80’s whilst Lee Scratch Perry has continued to be a true one of a kind since the very beginning… between them having produced an almost endless list of artists, solo works, collaborations and remixes.

He’s worked with everyone from Lee Scratch Perry himself and other big names in reggae such as Horace Andy and Jah Shaka, to British acts Massive Attack and old punks Ruts DC, tonight though Mad Professor was on stage with his mixing desk and electronic set up whilst accompanied by a hype MC to help keep the momentum going.

Not that Mad Professor really needs a hype MC as whilst he provided the right balance of the occasional vocals and the odd sound effect here and there, it was of course the professor really doing all the hard work.

The venues high stage meant unless you were up on the balcony looking down on proceedings it was difficult to see exactly what Mad Professor was up to behind his equipment, but being down the front was certainly the place to be in order to experience the surround sound of the beats bouncing off all four walls.

As the professor fiddled with his array of knobs and effects, playing some faster more upbeat tracks to get the crowd dancing it was when he then dropped the likes of “World of Reggae” that he showed off why he’s one of the best in the business, immediately turning it into a live dub remix – something he would do with several other records during a set filled with great tunes and reverberating bass lines, as well as himself and the MC interacting with the audience to give away a couple of pieces of vinyl from the Ariwa studio vaults.

I was a little apprehensive when it came to Lee Scratch Perry, having heard various reports on his live performances from recent years I was unsure what to expect but I’m pleased to report the legendary producer was on top form.

The Jamaican’s backing group for tonight were the Robotiks who came on to play an instrumental before Lee Scratch Perry was heard entering from backstage singing “Happy birthday, happy earth day” as he celebrates his upcoming 80th birthday this week and for a man of his age/lifestyle is in good shape when it came to fronting the backing band.

The majority of the set Lee Scratch Perry spent free-styling whilst the band provided some tight backing with nice deep bass and a guitarist who would break into short bluesy solos, LSP lyrically inviting Prince William and the royal family to kiss his boots whilst randomly listing various (explicit) places Jesus Christ may be… all within the same tune (which I’m sure had nothing to do with the “cigarettes” constantly passed to him by his roadie, a couple being shared briefly with audience members whilst nervous security watched on).

Some of Lee Scratch Perry‘s ramblings may be quite random but they somehow work with the flow of the music, which combined with renditions of tracks such as the classic “Police and Thieves” made for an unique performance and whilst there may not have been any on-stage collaboration with the Mad Professor, he was still behind the controls at the back of the room to help produce a dub-reggae night that will certainly take some beating.