Ghostface Killah, Sub Club, Oct 9

Backed by Theodore Unit, former Wu-Tang banger Ghostface retains his warlike credentials: machine gun basslines blasted out as he issued a hands-in-the-air war cry. Lights blazed, bodies mashed, the bass shook, and the air was filled with a harsh fug of green. It was a full-on sensory assault, like a Vietnam War film, with the same mix of discomfort and entertainment. Cramming Ghostface, Theodore Unit and a full capacity of hip-hop-mad Glaswegians into the Sub Club was always going to make for an apocalyptic show, with Ghostface eschewing Shaolin precision for thug-rap bludgeon - headz were reeling from the onslaught. Giving a spectacular, high-energy performance, nonetheless Ghostface's material suffered from its macho tendencies. Ghostface chucks out beats and lyrics with rhythm and proficiency, but can't grasp the leftfield experimentation that RZA and GZA brought to their projects. For the final track, he brought girls up on stage, blasting out lyrics about shaking asses: "until your pussy's wet." A staple of gangsta-style shows, it was hilarious that the Glaswegian crowd saw fit to trade cultures, offering a supremely un-cool rendition of "Get your tits out." White men never jumped so low. If they can just step out from the Clan's shadow, Ghostface and Theodore Unit will always be welcome in Scotland. [Liam Arnold]