Music > Live Reviews

Tropico 4th birthday @ UEA

11/02/16

If there's one word I could use to describe Norwich it would be community, and if there was another to describe the night life it would be Tropico. The party-throwing collective formed through the popular men's clothing store Dogfish, has gone from strength to strength in the past 4 years. It's seen the rise and fall of dearly missed underbelly club Hideout, blessed the floors of Bam Bam's and has thrown down the occasional shufflin' night at Open. You cannot hide from it when it comes to partying, Tropico is all the elements; wind, earth fire and bloody good times. During the day, Norwich is a fine city, filled with talent, aspiration and friendly faces, but it's not until the sun goes down, and the night closes in, when you realise what the youngsters get down to and the good times live up to. 

As a collective, Tropico consists of local talent DJ's, hip hop artists and its own style of illustration. They're not just a promotional team, they are a family, and on February 5th they returned bigger than ever with an all new take on the popular music culture scene with a all star grime / bass line up.

Taxi down, ticket sorted, compulsory bag search, all ticked well and truly off. Walking through the doors and to my right Elf Kid is clearly tearing it up, the crowd moving like a wave, the whole place full of the most incredible atmosphere, never have I felt such a mutual agreement that the sound of this young artist was something that people will never get tired off, especially live. At just 19, this up and coming grime performer still has a lot to give, and many seem to be excited about it, including myself! The beats and bars seem somewhat happier and lighter, this may be due to age, but could this be a turning point in the grime scene? We'll have to wait and see, but I'm proud to say that Tropico got some pretty good dibs getting him in Norwich, with the contacts proven this evening. The future for Tropico is on the up and I f*cking can't wait. 

The night moved swiftly on, and talented newcomer Elf Kid gave up the stage for big dog Frisco, the grandad of grime music. He's been on the scene for as long as I can remember, and probably some time before that, but still continues to slay and hold his own in every corner. From recording to battles to being an OG member of well establish grime collective BBK (Boy Better Know), it's almost become impossible for this man to disappoint, the crowd in awe, including myself, we let Frisco do his thing, and he does it good! With recent collaboration with Chase and Status, Funny was nothing less than a banger, and was received by the crowd on a level that I have never seen before. 

The BBK members flow onto stage as DJ Maximum is out of the frying pan and into the fire next, although this talent previously backed Frisco, he now returns to lay down some laws by himself, and obviously does not fail to impress. The crowd already pumped, DJ max sends them into a frenzy, preparing them for the rest of the evening. After so many live performing acts, the crowd could do with some good backspin, track stopping and heavy tunes, especially when My Nu Leng was only hours away from blessing the stage. The set times and order was created in a way of pure excellence, not only with the biggest as the headliner, but also the vibes taken into account, when to get the crowd pumped; then those last two hours of pure madness. Predicting this before the night is a talent, and it was executed extremely well, every aspect of this evening fell truly into place, hand in hand, and it was clear to tell that it was paying off.

For me, Preditah has come a long way since his 2013 Boiler Room set; although proving himself a solid DJ and producer, there was clearly still a lot of work to be done. Since then, everything from what he's done on SBTV straight down to what he gave to the crowd on Friday night has been a journey of nothing but improvement and success, which in the ever changing grime scene is always something to keep your eye and finger on. After an interview was published in the Guardian, the Brummie grime DJ and producer states that his favourite rewind track was Feed Em To The Lions (we expected nothing less) and what was delivered was pure gold. Just as you thought the set could not get better, the highlight track has got to be this dirty one from Solo 45. Never disappoints. Truly a great set, and a great warm up to the boys everyone's been waiting for, My Nu Leng. This guy knows how to party and knows how to please a crowd, if you didn't catch him on Friday, be sure to watch that space, a pure treat to experience live! 

Last but most definitely not least, the Bristol based duo My Nu Leng grace the stage with a sound which many find hard to place, but this inability to find them a genre does not stop the good vibes flowing when they throw down what they have to offer. Delivering sounds from both ends of the spectrum, with deep rumbling bass and some high pitched vocals in their chosen tracks, there's something in there for everyone, and hearing it live is like having your cake and eating it, they've got it all. The set list is hard to place, being a club night, and at this point, 1am in the morning, I'd had my fair share of vodka, lemonade and limes. But what I do remember is the energy of the crowd, and being very close to the front speakers. The mix of the strobe and moving bodies makes for a sight to behold, all under one roof raving in the words of Jamie XX, and all in Norwich! What a lucky bunch we are, eh? My Nu Leng did more than perform, they offered on a plate passion and a great party. It was more than a DJ playing tracks to a crowd, the night was like one massive house party, the way club nights should be. 

Going from what it was years ago, the grime scene has hit an all time high. Tropico promoters and DJ's seem to be timing their parties well, not to mention the precision and intelligence put behind their line ups. It's a very successful and well thought out evening, but what makes it easier for these boys is that it's not about the money, as Norwich born and breads, it's about the love, the passion, and mostly the good times. With souls like these in the industry, and in the local music scene, everyone should be as excited as I am with what's to come. 

All in all, the boys set out to impress, and did nothing but that. If Friday night was anything to go by, then Tropico has been restored to its former glory of throwing great parties, and I hope to see the UEA as a permanent home for this family of fans, artists and all round party lovers. Thankyou for a brilliant night. 

Props to everyone who arranged it, and made it possible!