Roni Size Live @ Colston Hall Review

17 Mar 2010

Roni Size Reprazent Live

I arrived down at Colston Hall just before kick-off at 8pm to be welcomed by buzzing crowds of people gathered around the multi-tiered, capacious, modern foyer, with its shining gold facade. As you may re-call, as part of the opening celebrations for the re-vamped building, Roni Size and Reprazent were to perform a one-off gig with acclaimed classical composer, William Goodchild, the Emerald Ensemble, and Gospel choir. Before that though, we were eased into the evening with a guest appearance from Speech Debelle. Fresh from winning the Mercury Music Prize for her album, Speech Therapy, she did her thing well, but didn't really capture the crowd's attention for too long.

Instead of the formal, sit-down event I was anticipating, people walked to and fro, in and out of the main room, clutching pints of lager, chatting between themselves and going outside to mingle at the bars or smoke out on the terrace. The crowd ranged from teenagers, thirty-somethings, to a few old couples, as well as some local D&B celebrities – Dazee, Lomax and D*Minds, amongst others, were all there, uh, "reprazenting", as you might say! It felt like a big coming together... a key theme for the night.

When the orchestra, choir and band emerged onto the stage at 9.30pm a hush fell across the building. Suddenly the bars on each tier of the foyer were empty, the lights were dim, and everyone was crammed into the main hall to watch an iconoclastic musical moment in the making. Dramatic strobe lighting, pounding bass, the usual electrifying live D&B performance Reprazent always give, with live vocals and orchestral sounds ensued. Goodchild was bouncing along to the beat, using wide arm gestures to conduct the Emerald Ensemble and choir, and keep the energy going visually as well as aurally; Dynamite MC rocked the crowd, and lead vocalist, Onalee, emerged onto the stage, wearing a stunning short silver sequined dress and over-the-knee glittery boots, looking every part the queen of D&B.

Roni Size Reprazent Live

They dropped a mixture of old classics – the obligatory Brown Paper Bag play out got a big cheer, given another lease of life by the orchestra, along with Dirty Beats (a personal favourite), with Dynamite shouting "We're gonna keep these beats dirrrty!" – and exclusive previews from the forthcoming Reprazent album, as well as a couple of collaborative pieces purpose-written for tonight by Goodchild and Roni.

Halfway through the set, after We Are The Future (a previewed track from the new album), British actor, playwright, singer and broadcaster, Kwame Kwei-Armah appeared, to read a poignant and stirring poem, which acted as a symbolic call for unity, ending with the echoing words: "I claim this place in the name of all that is black / Of all that is black, in all that is US of all that is us / in the human family! / Yes you and you and yes me." (Bit of historical background, for those who don't know - the Colston Hall was originally built using slave labour, and, as part of the re-opening celebrations all involved are keen to overcome this heritage, by "reclaiming" it and celebrating a rebirth, with new attitudes and new ideas.)

When I looked up from my position on the floor, I realized that the whole of the building was dancing, few people were sitting, and the pure excitement, awe, and amazement on people's faces was almost tangible. Whereas before, a lot of people were out in the bars drinking, the main room was completely packed out with people for the entirety of the Roni Size, Reprazent, Emerald Ensemble and gospel choir performance... the ultimate coming together, don't you think?

The evening had to come to an end. Share The Fall caused the entire building to roar with applause, admiration and undying respect for some of Bristol's most successful and influential musicians. The encore saw the Colston Hall raise the roof, with overwhelmed shouting, clapping and beaming smiles.

Well, two, nearly three weeks on, and I still can't get over quite how breathtaking the whole event was. It was unlike anything I could possibly imagine - admittedly, the orchestra was not nearly as prominent as I thought it would be - but the effect of the live music was so powerful, it really was one of those "pinch me, am I really here?" moments. I feel very privileged to have witnessed it.

Words: Belinda Rowse