Prophets Of Rage
ZEAL & ARDOR BRIXTON ACADEMY, LONDON
Amashing of black metal and African-American slave spiritualism against a backdrop of clanking slave chains is probably not what the jovial revellers are primed for, but ZEAL & ARDOR [8] lay waste to them anyway, particularly during the hellish blast of Blood In The River. ‘What better place than here, what better time than now!’ booms Chuck D, finishing off the triumphant blitz of Guerilla Radio. With the UK still reeling from a tumultuous election and the scourge of terrorism still painfully real, the time and the place is poignant for PROPHETS OF RAGE [9]. Amazingly, there’s no anti-establishment rhetoric tonight, no political diatribes or even a whisper of Trump. In fact, the vibe is more party than politics, starting with a scratch set from DJ Lord and ending with hit after hit of Rage classics and a rap megamix excavating cuts including Harder Than You Think and Insane In The Brain. Unfuck The World, the latest track from the Prophets, is introed with a call for circlepits while the crowd go bonkers to Bullet In The Head. Chuck D’s booming out of ‘All of which are American dreams’ is spinetingling, as is Tom’s solo on Fight The Power. It’s a shame it all has to end, but Bulls On Parade and Killing In The Name land a final, still-relevant suckerpunch.
All-star uprising puts party above politics