Review of Plan B at The Olympia Theatre on 27th February 2011
Review: Ros Madigan
Photo: Abraham Tarrush
This gig took place in the Olympia on the 27th Feburary and I was eager to see what was about to unfold. I would like to point out before I begin, that Plan B would not be the very first artist I would run to at a festival or queue to buy tickets for. I have only come about knowing and liking his music through his latest album – ‘The Defamation of Strickland Banks’. Nonetheless, I took my place in the pit and stood eagerly awaiting his arrival.
The stage was lit up with a very fancy Broadway-esque type sign reading “Plan B presents: The Defamation of Strickland Banks”. A very elaborate stage prop for an artist that first appeared on a UK grime compilation album in 2005. Maybe this is normal for rap turned soul singers. I wouldn’t call myself an expert on rap but this gig was to be anything but normal.
A man took to the stage sporting a rather slick grey suit and started to beat-box. This man was FaithSFX and he entertained us with beat-box covers of Tinnie Tempah’s ‘Pass Out’, Dizzee Rascals ‘Bonkers’ and a plethora of dubstep tracks with uncanny similarities to the originals. I have seen acts such as Beardy Man perform beat-boxing before but I have never seen a beat-boxer solo, have the crowd eating out of their hands, or should that be voice-box? He played with every sound he could, even at one stage resembling an audio mixer as he dropped bass lines Abelton Live would be proud of. The crowd went into a frenzy near the end and he duly introduced the main act.
‘Writing’s On The Wall’ was to be the first track and it really struck me as a fantastic opener for what was to be a rollercoaster ride of a gig. From the first song Plan B was urging everyone to stand up and party. For any of you with the pleasure of gracing The Olympia before, the ushers are not to fond of you standing up in the higher tiers of the auditorium. These ushers were to be ignored and he ripped roared through ‘Prayin’ and ‘Welcome To Hell’, both of which are better live than the recorded versions. Plan B sings effortlessly and swaggers about the stage with intent.
He introduces the next track by declaring that “this one is for all my smokers out there”. The track itself is ‘Traded In My Cigarettes’ and harks back to a time that seems so far away. This track could so easily be from any Motown album from the archives. Not only is this unusual in the year 2011, but extra unusual when it is coming from a rapper for Forest Gate, London. ‘Love Goes Down’ is another soft and brilliant track like the one before. He then calms things down and almost proceeds to preach to us about love, life and happiness. Once again a surreal moment, not what I expected at all, an urban Bono perhaps? All was explained and made sense in the song that followed, ‘Hard Times’. A song of great hope which showcases the rougher side to life. I was beginning to feel enlightened.
After this song the night took an altogether different turn as Plan B returned to his rap roots. ‘No Good’ was the track and it begun with the line “I stabbed you in the fucking eye yo, with a fucking biro”. A far cry from the preaching about hope through soulful and fine vocals. The weird thing is that it somehow worked. The changeover was deemed seamless by the crowd. Plan B still had the same swagger I touched on earlier but seemed a more comfortable presence. ‘Charmaine’ was up next and everyone raps back in unison to every breath he takes. This is a stand out track from his rap section for the night and he continues to please the big turnout of fans that love his earlier work.
He then returns to play some songs off the newest album. ‘Recluse’ is the song and the roof is nearly lifted straight off from The Olympia. The rap in the middle is different to his older material, showing maturity and that he has moved on from stabbing people in the face with pens. The crowd clearly likes both styles as this song goes down very well. ‘She Said’, the second single from his latest work is next and the crowd sing every single word back to him. This song was Plan B’s first and only UK number 1 single back in 2010, reaching number 2 in Ireland. ‘What Yo Gonna Do’ is one of my favorite tracks off the album, and my thoughts are obviously felt by quite a lot of other people as this song gets a great reception on the night. This in turn leads me to believe, after what is soon to be 6 singles released off this album, why not this one?
He leaves the stage, the lights go down, but it isn’t long before the crowd force him back on stage. He begins with a slow number, which doesn’t really stand out in long lasting memory as a great song and will go down as the worst one on the night. He then declares “this next one is one for the Mammy’s and Daddy’s, Karaoke”. This next part was to stand out as the “wow” moment of the night. FlashSFX, the support beat-boxer was now back on stage as Plan B began to cover a few classic oldies, but with a difference. These covers were to be ‘Lean On Me’, ‘Stand By Me’, ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’ and ‘Kiss From A Rose’ to name but a few. The massive difference was that Plan B was singing these to a dubstep influenced backing track provided by FlashSFX. This medley of classics was finished by ‘Forgot about Dre’.
If this radical mix up wasn’t enough, this grime/rap/soul/dubstep artist was now about to try his hand at punk with the song ‘No More Eatin’. He and his band mates thrashed about the place with reckless abandon. He did however fail to get his audience to create a mosh pit, which was rather funny. My mind at this stage had completely been blown and messed around. His last song on the night was to be none other than ‘Stay Too Long’. Any of the euphoria that was detailed above was multiplied by ten as everyone relished in his last song of the night. The song was certainly the musical highlight and capped what was a very very interesting night.
I had come to this gig with preconceptions about rap music and these type of gigs. I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy a gig from an artist such as Plan B. I was clearly proven totally wrong. It really was a rollercoaster ride from start to finish and one that had me smiling and second-guessing myself for the gigs entirety. I had been proved wrong and I liked it. I bow my imaginary cap to you Sir.B.
