Review of Buck 65 at The Academy 2, Dublin – April 14th 2011
Review by Craig McDonnell
Photos by Aidan McCarthy
Canadian Buck 65 brought his unique blend of hip hop and folk music to the Academy 2 last Thursday. This wouldn’t be the kind of music I’m usually into and I had only discovered who Buck 65 was a matter of days before the show, but I was interested in seeing how he pulls off this sound live as well as finding out how exactly I felt about this rare genre.
At the beginning of the set, I was finding it hard to keep an interest on the stage. The music was coming from a laptop with Buck 65 himself rapping over it and occasionally moving over to his turntable for a scratch solo or two. However, by the end I was hooked. I think a large part of this was due to how down to earth he appeared on stage. In between songs he would talk about subjects like his current problems with sleeping as well as his ex-girlfriend with whom he explains: “We almost killed each other, both emotionally and sexually”.
After a few songs, the beautiful Marine Herald appeared on stage to contribute to the majority of the set. The subject matter of Buck 65’s songs really are what sets him apart from anything I have ever seen. Songs ranged from a story about having sex with a mannequin (Mannequin Player) to a song he accidentally wrote about Drew Barrymore’s Grandmother to lyrics which were all subjects found in his e-mail accounts junk folder. Combine this with catchy beats and hints of folk music and this was certainly an experience that will be hard to match for a long long time.
The highlight for me came towards the end of the set when he played a song entitled ‘Zombie Delight’. This was the first song of his I had listened to and in a way it is the perfect example of exactly what Buck 65 is all about. Funny lyrics (‘Zombie invasion, the problems international/Don’t try to reason with them – zombies are irrational’), some brilliant zombie style dancing and a beat that has the average-sized crowd in the Academy 2 busting a groove.
Ending with probably his best-known song, ‘Wicked and Weird’, Buck 65 left the stage and walked straight to the crowd to shake hands, get photos taken and chat to the locals, a sign of just how down to earth and normal he is.
Buck 65’s latest album ’20 Odd Years’ was released on 1st February 2011.
