Live Reviews

Live Review: River Nelson at Notting Hill Arts Club in London on 30 Sep

By | Published on Thursday 14 October 2010

River Nelson

Performing songs from his debut album ‘The Rise And Fall Of’, River Nelson had the crowd at this intimate venue in the palm of his hand, demonstrating with ease why he’s become such a big hit on the underground scene. He has an infectious energy that really came out as he rapped along to my personal favourites, ‘Always Winter’ and ‘Beautiful Life’, songs as beautiful and poetic as, say, Common might produce.

But this show had more than just the songs, as great as they are. A projector shared clips of Brooklyn, providing a glimpse into the world that has surrounded and influenced Nelson’s music. The DJ did a great job at enhancing River’s vocals with cleverly timed samples, while in between the songs River himself added to the proceedings with his laid back humorous chat. I overheard one crowd member observe River’s witty banter in itself could make a show, and certainly it made the evening that little bit extra special.

And his crowd interaction was superb. Just when you thought he couldn’t step things up any more, he was in the crowd embracing his fans or, as in my case, having a little dance with his audience. With such character and humour and warmth, it doesn’t matter whether hip hop is your thing, River is a man to check out. SD



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