Gig of the month

Somethings in life shouldn't go together, but just do. Ham and pineapple. Fries and strawberry milkshake. Rap and rock... but who says they shouldn't?

This is the question i asked myself as i sat perched, Archers&lemon in hand, on a stool in Woody's Bar- Hednesford. I love this place, it's THE place to be on a Thursday evening for the music night. This is the kind of scene where instruments are left leaning on the bar, graffiti of Oasis and Stone roses grace the walls, and the custom are interlinked by an intricate network of who-plays-what-with-who-in-which-band. Therefore you can understand the surprise with which i watched as visiting American Rap artist "AJ" climbed onto a stage filled with amps and drums; it seemed we were witnessing the proverbial "fish out of water." You could feel the apprehension of the audience- "who is this guy, where is his guitar, and why can't he say "Cannock" properly?" The fact that he had brought with him his own backing track and payed female dancer seemed a little staged and over done. I rolled my eyes at my boyfriend, expecting an awkward set of ill-chosen rap songs delivered by an over-confident "outsider". I did feel a pang of pity for him, perhaps his bravado would have worked for a different crowd. This however, was  clearly not his scene. I braced myself for the worst.

 Oddly enough however, the quiet trepidation that met the rapper upon first glance melted into bopping of heads and tapping of feet. In an indie muso bar such as Woody's, this is the pinnacle of acceptance. Each song was received by a cheering audience (unlike earlier performers, who were so bad that people seemed suddenly clenched by in-depth conversations to escape the off-notes.)

I do not believe that it was due to AJ's confession of love for our little town of Cannock ("Kay-Nok") or even his confidence and stage presence, but rather that he was a good musician. His raps were well delivered, his melodies catchy and rhythmic. Although the majority of the audience consisted of indie rock listeners, anyone who loves music can recognise talent, even if it is not of your preferred genre.  No matter where you come from or what genre you like, it is the core love of music that binds people across the board. So what if you wear drainpipes, or or oversized gangster hoodies? Linkin Park have taken rap and rock and ran with it- From what i hear they're hardly short of a fan or two.

We owe alot to 'AJ' of Texas; Perhaps it is time we all started dipping our fries in milkshake.