The Wailers @ UEA
One love indeed!
Aston “Family Man” Barrett may be the only original member left, but The Wailers are still drawing sizeable crowds. The regenerated reggae group sold out The Nick Rayns LCR, where I spied studenty types, elderly skankers, dreadlocked cliques, relatively conventional parents and their reluctant tweens in tow).The turnout was certainly affecting. These groups hadn’t come together to see The Next Big Thing, but a band formed back in ‘69. A western crowd packed the LCR to welcome a band, not from the UK or the States, but from the faraway ghettos of Kingston, Jamaica.
First up though, were a group much closer to home, Suffolk’s own Solko. With an experimental fusion of dub and rock, the local group got the crowd bobbing, waving, and in several literal cases, dad dancing.
After an entertaining set, Solko gave way for the album they owe much of their sound to: Legend. Bob Marley and The Wailers’ compilation album contains seminal reggae hits, although from witnessing their stage entrance on Sunday, you’d be none the wiser. With no significant lighting change, hint of fanfare, and an oft-changing line up, it was honestly hard to distinguish between them and the sound guys. We clapped apprehensively, but any doubts were quashed when the five-piece slipped into a chilled reggae instrumental. Vocalists Joshua Barrett and Cegee Victory then joined and the completed band began Legend in its entirety.
With eminent frontman Bob Marley deceased, filling his position was always going to be tricky. Barrett assuaged my anxieties from the get go. Coaxing the crowd into a “MARLEY! MARLEY! MARLEY!” chant, he paid tribute to reggae’s royalty. Only then did he launch into the album’s first track: Is This Love. Barrett’s singing style mimicked Marley’s reedy baritone, but an original undertone steered him from becoming a cheap Bob Marley Experience. He commandeered the crowd between songs too; advocating Rastafari values (“Humanity over vanity!”), denouncing oppression and expressing solidarity with victims of recent terrorist attacks. Cegee complemented Barrett well; delivering Legend’s integral backing vocals,boogying and piping out a crowd-rousing solo.
Compared to the vocalists, the instrumentalists lacked energy. The five-piece took their backing band status a tad too faithfully; it would’ve been great to see more mobility from the more able band members. Musically? They were stunning. Chaka Taylor did justice to No Woman No Cry’s stirring keyboard strains, Aston Barrett Jr. mastered his uncle’s one drop drum beat, and above all, Could You Be Loved’s inimitable bassline showed that at 69, The Family Man still has it.
Yet, my highlight was Redemption Song. After unrelenting encore calls, Barrett and lead guitarist Audley Chisolm returned with (arguably) one of Marley’s greatest. A total departure from the set, the ballad tied up Legend’s key themes: political activism, love and the power of music.
The Wailers returned in full to complete the 3-song encore, before leaving us with an aura bright enough to rival the lights above. Their set was a celebration; of Marley’s legacy, The Wailer’s endurance, and as it happens, The Family Man’s Birthday. The crowd wished him a huge Happy Birthday, and deservedly so. He’s carried the torched for an incredible act, and on Sunday it warmed the LCR through and through. One love indeed!
9/10
