XL Superclub. 16 Nov 2014
I can’t say that I’ve ever really been much of a clubs person. In fact, I’d only ever been to one club before, many moons ago for a mate’s 18th, and I can’t say I was overly impressed. So decades on from that instance, I found myself venturing into the unknown realms of a night club once again, all in the pursuit of music. I didn’t really know what to expect, apart from the main dude I’d come to see, and as I always try to do, I went in with an open mind.
It turned out to be an evening of mixed emotions on a number of levels, the first of which was a sense of disappointment as the glorified PA music from a bunch of DJs rang out for hours and hours past what was supposed to be the starting time. Even Axl Rose would have been dismayed at the delay in kicking things off! Nonetheless, I put up with the seemingly endless rotation of DJ tunes I’d never before heard in my life (though, given the amount that people were singing along, I’m sure I was the only blissfully ignorant person in the room!), and by around 11pm, first act Mya came out for a bit of a sing on stage. I can’t say that I’d ever heard any of her music before (I’m really not much of a pop music person in the slightest), but she can certainly carry a tune!
There were a couple of oddities I noticed as Mya took to the stage: it was somewhat unusual for me to see a main act come out armed only with a microphone and accompanied by a dude on a laptop playing what is effectively a backing tape. It makes me wonder even more as to what the delay in starting was - since there was nothing to actually set up. On top of that, as someone who’s watched thousands of bands, performers and artists over the years, I did find it odd to see so many people dancing to the PA music (and I use the term dancing fairly loosely!), only to stop dancing when the main act came out.; still, I wasn’t there to watch people dance badly.
Mya’s brand of hip hop was certainly listenable; singing to a backing tape can be fraught with dangers, but the Grammy award winner hit most of the notes most of the time, and was peppered with plenty of DJ toasting, costume changes, and giveaways, making for an interesting opening act.
Eventually, the main man came out for his turn on the mic. My motivation for coming along was the fact that I’m a massive fan of reggae music from way back, and I’m always keen to hear a bit of reggae and all of its derivatives (that’s right, Sean Paul shares more with reggae music than just his Jamaican heritage!). Despite not being a ‘clubby’ person, I actually don’t mind reggae’s latest offshoot, dancehall, and I was pretty keen to hear what Sean Paul could do live.
I’m pretty sure I was the only reggae purist in the room (apart from maybe a few kiwis who were also hanging about, like me!), and I missed Sean Paul a few years back when he was scheduled to play as a part of the Raggamuffin festival here in Adelaide - he pulled out at the last minute - so I hoped this performance would make up for it. I’m pleased to note, Sean Paul did indeed put on a good show! He played through a range of tunes from his back catalogue, and though I can barely understand a word he sings about, the music did all the talking. Dancehall is something of a mix of traditional reggae grooves, re-envisioned for a modern electronic vibe, with funky beats and grooving rhythmic vocals, and is definitely worth shaking a bit of arse to.
It was bittersweet when things came to a close, as it had been a good show, albeit the most bizarre show I’d ever been to (I did manage to get past the oddity of myself being in a club with all these club people), but being rather late on a school night, I was happy to head home, fulfilled at finally getting to see Sean Paul.
Luke Balzan
When: Closed
Where: XL Superclub
Bookings: Closed
