The show started with the introduction of each of Egypt 80 – once lead by Seun’s father in the 1980s and still comprises of about three quarters of the original line-up who were also harassed and arrested with Fela. The bandleader went on to talk about how material goods run the world, giving you the sense that this would indeed be the politically charged showcase I preconceived, and then went on to do their own song which surprisingly lacked the funk of Seun and Fela’s music.

 

Seun came onstage smartly dressed with a beaming smile and an energised persona, to join the band he first performed with at fourteen. Starting with one of his father’s songs ‘Opposite People’, as he always does, funk levels hit the roof and the crowd began to franticly move to the infectious afrobeat. After an emphatic start Seun said, “Can you suspend the small mouths and only use the big mouths”, introducing his “Brother from another mother” Akala and going into one of the highlights of the night ‘International Mother Fucker (IMF)’. Akala did his best to get the crowd going requesting everyone to put their middle finger in the air with Seun frolicking around the stage, as his father did, with the beat going round his body knocking him around and trying to escape. Pumped is an understatement, the crowd energy was at bursting point.

 

As two people, Akala and Seun could not be better matched. Both having a keen political knowledge and not afraid to voice their views, but as musicians I wasn’t sure how this “experiment” would work. In the ten minute plus version of ‘IMF’, Akala put his fast provoking lyrics to Seun’s funked out rhythms and it was amazing – I couldn’t have envisioned it any better. The pair fed off each other’s energy and belief for the power of music, making for an electric performance from two showmen who were generating an ecstatic reaction from the audience. Introducing ‘Zombie’ (a Fela Kuti song), the band rampantly pulled everyone along to their raw groove and had Akala and Seun marching to the beat. After doing another great verse over ‘Zombie’, Akala went onto do a couple of his own tracks and the mood definitely turned. With an audience who were mainly here for the afrobeat sounds of Seun Kuti, I don’t think the older generation were quite ready for what Akala brings – clever lyricism which unfortunately got overlooked because of his “aggressive and rude language” (quote courtesy of the couple that sat behind me), not helped by asking for the audience to shout “fuck off”. Not everyone took offence though to one of Britain’s finest lyrical wordsmiths, as the majority of the standing audience were bouncing and even had their shooters in the air. Those who were not convinced joined the exodus of people heading to the lavatories.

 

At the end of Akala’s final song, the room took to a more lulled and relaxed place after a long trumpet and sax jam. The mood was quickly revived with Seun continuing to go ballistic to his songs, being completely engrossed by his music and giving everything he could as well as performing a number of brilliant sax solos. I would love to hear Seun describe what he is feeling whilst onstage, as he is a master performer with a stage charisma that never lets up. There was no doubt that Akala and Seun have a great understanding for each other and a special rapport when playing live, making you think that maybe the pair should do an album together – especially when Akala’s Hip-Hop mixed with Seun’s Afrobeat, it was ludicrously good. Unfortunately, Akala rapped to his own tracks with pre-recorded audio instead of music from the Egypt 80 which was a little disappointing, as the change in pace probably didn’t win him any new fans.

 

The set that which was more than two hours long flew past in an instant and Seun finished the show topless (presenting his Fela Lives tattoo) in an almost holistic way where his band created a beautiful mess of sound that absorbed the concert hall. He may always be compared to his esteemed father, who was labelled the most powerful man in Africa at his peak, but Seun easily held his own producing a show which was more focused on the music than political rants (of which there were only a few). The Egypt 80 proved that they are still the same Afrobeat powerhouse that is sure to live long in the memory of any Afrobeat fan.

Iain Lauder