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Goldie Lookin' Chain
Carling Live 24 @ Canvas, London, 28 April 2006
3 stars
It's getting late, the pubs have begun to kick out and there's something odd about wading through Kings Cross at midnight to get to a gig. With Goldie Lookin' Chain not on stage till 2am I could have been forgiven for thinking I'd got the thin end of the Carling Live 24 wedge. However, straight after setting foot in Canvas (nee Bagleys) I knew I was in store for a good night.

After a fairly low-key knob twiddling support act, the Welsh collective finally hit the stage at 2am amid mounting excitement. Everyone was there for a good time and we weren't disappointed. Within seconds of arriving on stage Adam Hussein promised us that they were ready to get "Club 18-30" on our asses - which they certainly did.

Recently, it's been a roller coaster of a time for the GLC crew but Maggot's flirtation with celebrity doesn't appear to have changed the band in any way. The fans are still out in force and the poison chalice of a Davina McCall interview doesn't seem to have had any effect on their credibility. And there'd be no journalists from Hello magazine in the crowd - they'd be off to see The Ordinary Boys the next day.

It's difficult to pigeon hole GLC. Are they an individual hip-hop voice or just an out of control novelty act? Who cares when they're so damn entertaining. The late hour didn't seem to have hampered the crew. We were treated to a hour of frenetic bouncing up and down: Put your hands over your ears and it would almost have been like watching an ASBO themed exercise video. And it takes a special kind of performance the get a whole crowd chanting "your mother's got a penis" at 3am. Their most popular hits, along with material from their last album, were well received by the Carling fuelled crowd.

For a band currently homeless after being dumped by their label it seemed like business as usual. The same playful attitude is displayed and, hopefully, a more favourable record deal is waiting in the wings. They may have their critics, but it'd be a shame if Goldie Lookin' Chain drop off the radar.

Clearly intended to lure in the after hours clubbing crowd, this leg of Carling Live 24 also included rooms devoted to indie disco and broken beats. But the real discovery of the night was Steve Lamacq's Punk Rock Karaoke where punters from the crowd were encouraged to join a live band for a selection of classics - I arrived in the room to see one guy belting out Ace of Spaces as if his life depended on it and I was hooked for most of the night. It's unlikely to produce any stars of tomorrow but it's a blindingly simple idea which makes stupendous entertainment. It's well worth checking out their residency at the Garage if you can.

And before I knew it the night had finished and it was back to Kings Cross for "the night bus challenge". To those who made it to breakfast at The Proud Gallery - I salute you.


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