People Under The Stairs @ Cabaret Voltaire, October 11
With such an accessible aesthetic, it's too frustrating to think that this crew may never transcend cult
The tagline for Wes Craven's 1991 fantasy b-horror 'The People Under The Stairs' is suitably apt for tonight's LA hiphop duo of the same moniker - "In every neighbourhood there is one house that adults whisper about and children cross the street to avoid." PUTS remain very much off the radar and, with no big league radio shouting props, kids probably won't know enough to take a chance. Tonight, Double K and Thes One rupture the stage with a bounty of rich product, laced with crisp beats, hypnotic chimes and beatboxing to rival the old masters. The smoking ban means that Acid Raindrops somehow sounds like an old lament of bygone days at shows like these, while the minimalist new ditty Pass the 40 "rap lambasts the hopeless" and reaffirms their stature. With such an accessible aesthetic, it's too frustrating to think that this crew may never transcend cult, but then again, they're too good for the charts.