T on the Fringe: Plan B @ The Liquid Room
Corpse-raping and knife attacks may leave the young East-Londoner unfazed but a gruelling touring schedule may just be that little too much.
| 13 Oct 2006
As anyone who has even heard a snippet of one of his songs will know, Ben Drew is an angry young man. Being hailed by broadsheet critics as the first laureate of the asbo generation and specialising in lyrical turns that would reduce the average geriatric middle-Englander to tears, his opening pronouncement of "everybody shut the fuck up, it my time now" initially appears as a convincing statement of intent. But the angry young man soon fades into a rather peeved and tired performer with Drew meekly explaining how recent sets at the Carling Weekend have worn down his voice and that tonight's show may have to be cut short.
Despite the fatigue, Plan B still possesses songs such as Kidz and the excellent Missing Links, here rendered with the original Radiohead sample that had to be removed from the studio version due to copyright issues, but it soon becomes clear that he can't keep up the pace. Corpse-raping and knife attacks may leave the young East-Londoner unfazed but a gruelling touring schedule may just be that little too much. [Miles Johnson]
Despite the fatigue, Plan B still possesses songs such as Kidz and the excellent Missing Links, here rendered with the original Radiohead sample that had to be removed from the studio version due to copyright issues, but it soon becomes clear that he can't keep up the pace. Corpse-raping and knife attacks may leave the young East-Londoner unfazed but a gruelling touring schedule may just be that little too much. [Miles Johnson]