Here's some music

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...because music is great and I quite like it. It makes everything better. Especially if it's good music. But you know this. I have two musics in particular that I would like to share with you. The first is a show I went to last Saturday night. It was my first night in London, and I thought I'd better start the way I plan to go on. So I got this sweet recommendation from last.fm. Random Hand were playing at a place called Nambucca. Checked the map, near a tube station, no problem. Got nobody to go with but I'm here to make friends, so why not? Now, I've never listened to Random Hand but I was familiar with them because of their links with Sonic Boom Six. I've been on a bit of a SB6 buzz lately, and they're an all-round excellent band, so any friend of theirs is a friend of mine.

So, after a slight detour on the tube, I arrived just on time to catch the first band. On the way in an old fat guy handing me a wristband was not a great sign. This is a small bar not a festival right? Whatever happened to a stamp on the hand? Anyway, first band were not bad. I'd never expect much from the first band on a 5-band bill, but if this was the worst, the rest must be great.

I was not disappointed. The bill was beautifully eclectic; metal-tinged punk, chilled out reggae and a good mix of ska-core, punk and hip-hop. There was even an MC rhyming on a little stage by the bar. My highlight of it all was Tyrannosaurus Alan. A band I'd never heard of but a few of the lads assured me they were awesome. The show was a whirlwind of skanking, moshing, crowd-surfing and hardcore dancing. Not just a cardio workout out either, keeping a guy crowd-surfing for a whole song is hard on the arms! But this crowd were up for the challenge. And I haven't even said anything about the music yet! So if one is familiar with Sonic Boom Six, you've already got an idea of this sort of eclectic ska-punk. If not, check them out as well! I used to think that SB6 were pretty unique but if only I knew about this great scene! Tyrannosaurus Alan blend the style perfectly. The ska is accompanied by a rapid-fire rap and the mash-up of styles really keeps you on your toes. There's hardly 10 seconds without some change in feel, up-tempo, down-tempo, break-down, mosh-out, skank-out. Despite the variety the styles flow perfectly together. The songs are so well constructed that there's never an abrupt change that feels out of place. They strike the balance between novelty and predictability, something that many bands never achieve. They play with the audiences expectations but are fun and so danceable.

Random Hand were along the same lines. A little bit less extreme in their eclecticism. They were a little more typical of the ska-core style. Again, they were amazing to dance to. Like I always say, ska is the best dance music ever, and they provided that super smooth rhythm in spades. The other band that I'd like to mention is Jackal. I'm sorry to say that I missed them play but I chatted with a few of the members and they are bang-on sound. I'll definitely make sure to catch their next show. So I couldn't have asked for a better first night in London. I even bought a CD from Tyrannosaurus Alan, and I sat on the tube home trying to work out how I was going to find a CD player to listen to it on!

Now the second slice of music I would like you to taste is some astounding north-west hip-hop. If you haven't heard of this guy yet, make a note, Macklemore is going to be big. I hate to be one of those indie kids who knows them before they were big (I'm more into the ones who are never going to be big) but this guy falls under the 'just too good' category. I first heard about him when I happened to be in The Twisted Pepper enjoying a quiet pint with Kilian. Or, not-so-quiet as was the case. Because in the background Macklemore was rounding off his set with Irish Celebration. I only found out the telling title of this rabble raising song; a celebration of his Irish roots. I was far away from the action, but I could still feel the unmistakeable energy and I'm not surprised that the man himself highlighted it as one of his best shows. This was the general consensus of the streams of dedicated, sweat-drenched fans (AKA the shark-faced gang) as they were leaving too. The phrase 'best show ever' seemed to be on everybody's lips. So I took the hint and looked him up.

As I wandered around Hammersmith and Acton today I stuck on Macklemore to give myself some head space. His music is so inspirational, I can't even begin to describe... I've been listening to his stuff for a while and still, every time I listen he gives me those tingles, where the hair on the back of your neck stands up. I've never known music that has had such a powerful effect on me. The reason Macklemore is so good is because he 100% genuine, straight from the heart, real hip-hop. I must mention that Macklemore is white (and has Irish roots), but like me, he is prone to introspection and reflection. His very first track on his debut, instead of the almost traditional big-up song about how great he is, is a mature account of what it means to be a white person in the foreign culture of hip-hop. He tackles so many issues in this way, balanced yet compelling, making you think while getting his point across. All with killer funky beats and a characteristically breathy flow. So basically I can't get enough of him. He's got a new album coming out with his long-time producer Ryan Lewis and they played a sold-out show here on Monday night.