Kano - Anson Rooms Live Review

Kano
Anson Rooms, Bristol University Students Union

This gig review consists of a series of firsts for this reviewer. As a 3yr resident of the city this is my first opportunity to visit the Anson Rooms, further, this is my first exposure to the 'gryhme' (sp?) genre. However one thing is very clear as I review this gig, first of all it is that I feel I am witnessing an artist on the cusp of commercial and artistic breakthrough into the mainstream. Also, as a 34 yr old I can categorically state that I am the oldest person here (and the barman still asked for proof of age…).
However this is not a pean to my lost youth but an acknowledgement that this current generation has a new musical genre to call its own, which to this reviewer's mind is very healthy. It is reassuring that in these days of media manipulated mediocrity and a slew of semi naked, semi talented karaoke singers, there is exciting music being made and performed. Yes, the kind of music which will prompt parents to say 'It's all just noise!'

There is frisson in the air tonight as Kano's London gig had been cancelled owing to the usual circumstances of too many young men with too much to prove. This is his final show and he means to leave his public with a night to remember. As a long time hip hop fan, the opening act; David Banner, was much more accessible to me. However, this was not ghetto fabulous but more like ghetto discount. I realise that not all of us are blessed with a rippling 6 pack, this reviewer contends himself with a rippling pack….. However it was rather disturbing to watch a man parade around the stage as though he were mutton dressed as lamb. If the goal of the support act is to satiate the audience's appetite for the main act, then it worked in spades.
When Kano did arrive, he opened with I Don't Know Why, he delivered it with the kind of pent up fury of a man who has been wronged and will let the world know. I must confess that as a someone new to the artists and the genre, it was a bit difficult to review a gig where the performer doesn't present the song he's about to sing, however in preparation for this review, I listened to as much of his material as possible.
He then proceeded to go through tracks on his debut album and these were interspersed with tracks which are available at his website www.kano.com.uk, of particular note were 'Home Sweet Home, 'Mic Check 1-2' and he finished with a roaring rendition of 'Remember Me'.
Although I didn't leave the evening as a fan, the audience were well entertained, and there was a positive vibe throughout. I solicited a few comments from people near me, and the consensus was that a good set was performed. The message from this review is that this is a young man who is going places.

Tamer Ghoneim