On an early summer’s eve in London’s south, Fingerlickin decided to stage a celebration for their five years in the game. What better venue than the Coronet cinema (now nightclub) in Elephant & Castle to host what was to be a memorable night of old-school and nu-school breaks from some of the world’s finest, which included the Plump DJs, ,b>Soul of Man, Lee Coombs, Krafty Kuts, Dread Zone and a special guest appearance of Kurtis Blow. It was the first time that all of Fingerlickin’s armada of performers were to perform at the same place and same time.
The venue was impressively decorated out with 3 massive screens above the main stage which had a large dancefloor in front of it and a decently sized area behind it for the bar hangers. On level one there was another room where the likes of Slyde and Stereo 8 were to play. Felt a bit like Jamaica in there but the music was good. On the third level there was more of a groove feel where Brothers Bud had a stint behind the decks. Level 3 was a nicely couched area for the people who needed to chill out from the breaks on the lower levels.
The crowd was a nice mix of punters. Overhearing a few comments in the line, everyone was keen on seeing their favourite act. I didn’t get any dodgy vibes and felt comfortable in a friendly atmosphere. My hat goes off to the bare chested blonde chap whose solo contemporary dance moves lasted for the entire night.
Drumattic Twins opened the billing with a good performance to warm up the crowd. By the time Krafty Kuts and A Skillz came on for the live performance we were all ready to sample some delights from their latest album Trickatechnology. Performances of Roll Over Baby with Ashley Slater and Simple things with Real Elements definitely prompted me to chuck my Trickatechnology cd in the car for the week. Soon after, the legendary Kurtis Blow came on for his collaboration of Gimme the Breaks which blew me and my fellow punters away (excuse the pun).
Dreadzone Soundsystem were next to arrive on the main stage and definitely kept us on our toes with some quality live stuff. MC Spee deserved an honourable mention. Soul of Man didnt let up when they came on playing some filthy basslines and class breaks dropping in a few familiar ones that produced some scurries from the bar back to the dancefloor.
The much anticipated performance of the Plumps began in the prime slot at 2am. Whilst I have seen them play better, I still thought they were exceptional (I guess it had something to do with the fact that the last time I saw them was in 30 degree heat in a park in Sydney). The usual revving up of the crowd during some of their more cracking tracks is always good to see. DJs who love their music and love performing is something that isn’t seen enough.
After the Plumps, Shades of Rhythm came on for some Old skool tunes followed by Lee Coombs. During that time I took it upon myself to venture to the other rooms, mostly upstairs where I took refuge on Level 3 where the music was easier to listen to for that time of the morning. Bit of groove at 4-5am suited me just fine.
Quite a number stayed in the main room and when I went down there from time to time, Mr Coombs was still keeping them strong.
All in all, Fingerlickin definitely pulled out all the stops for the evening. Top venue, best possible lineup, good crowd, good soundsystem and visuals. What more can I say.. Parties like these don’t happen that often so make sure you don’t miss the next one!