Concert review - Beardyman at HMV Institute, Birmingham

Beardyman

HMV Institute, Birmingham

Concert review by Chris Davies

Modern dance music, possibly more so than any other genre, is riddled with jargon and terminology. From early hip hop and breakbeat in The Bronx, via Detroit's electro, techno and house and Great Britain's rave scene, through to European trance, Bristol's trip hop and London's drum 'n' bass, garage, bassline and dubstep, it's a constantly evolving way of making music which, ultimately, defies description.

Labels clearly don't bother Beardyman though, as the beatboxer, DJ and musician launched into a pounding set at one of Birmingham's best venues, taking in just about every single genre and some which haven't been invented yet.

This 28-year-old North Londoner, real name Darren Foreman, understands the threads in dance music which bind it together and treated the capacity crowd to a mix showcasing tracks from I Done A Album, his debut, taking in countless classics along the way.

Whether acknowledging reggae legend Lee Scratch Perry via The Prodigy's Out Of Space or putting his own twist on St Etienne's Neil Young cover, Only Love Can Break Your Heart, Beardyman's mixing and vocals were impeccable, accompanied by visuals as eclectic as the music.

If dance music is sometimes accused of being humorless, here he redressed the balance, interspersing tracks with his sardonic wit and inviting members of the audience to submit requests.

This resulted in bizarre combinations, such as a song about penguins in a drum 'n' bass style, the theme to Grange Hill sung in the style of The Wurzels and Jurassic Park dubstep.

However, this being Birmingham, he couldn't resist paying homage to one of the city's biggest exports and his take on UB40's Red, Red Wine got the enthusiastic crowd singing along and waving their arms merrily until another impossibly deep bassline made the Institute's rafters quake.