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Live Reviews

Kyza & The Focused Few – Live

Rhythm Factory
14.11.09

Can’t beat a Saturday night on Brick Lane – followed by some Shots of Smirnoff – The Rhythm Factory in Aldgate is the venue, UK HipHop is in the house – but where the fuck is the crowd? Danny Spice gets the tiny crowd moving a little with some witty lines – and once he hit his flow, there could have been 1 or 1000 people crammed in there and it wouldn’t faze him a bit – a set deserving of a crowd.

After a DJ Premier beat had looped for a good 15mins, Ramson Badbonez walks out to a growing crowd and busted out a healthy barrage of lyrics and got the place truly bouncing – and finished off his set with a tight accapella – guys got energy, but the night still needs to up a gear.

The main event takes a few minutes to set up, thankfully it allows a crowd to swell while the dj sets up alongside the guitarist, two back up vocalists, drummer and keyboard player. That makes up the Focused Few and the front man we all came to see swaggers on to stage with a huge grin.

Kyza, aka Mr.SaySo is up for this – shades are on and that familiar from the albums laugh rumbles over the mic and through the Rhythm Factory, the band kick in and we are off. Kyza has deconstructed his beats and had the Focused Few assemble them with a funkier, more soulful twist without compromising his urban edge.

Street classics like Lucozade Bottles are given a very different vibe with the live instruments, but still bounce. Murder, utilising the Welcome to Jamrock hook gets everyone involved, the live band start to get looser and it’s a proper jam session, with Kyza happy to let the band showcase themselves. The finale is the hardcore FightKlub, the reworking with instruments feels less confrontational and positive – Kyza doesn’t want this to end – but looking at sweat soaked emcee on stage its time to call it a night. Live hiphop can be a disaster, but all the acts tonight have spent plenty of time working on their sets and it paid off – just wish more people would get out to these shows – Kyza wont leave you disappointed.

Words and photos by Phil Proctor.