Drum and bass doesn’t seem like the right term to describe UK’s Rudimental after seeing their performance at the Forum. Bringing ten people onstage to blast out quasi-inspirational anthems like We The Generation, Right Here and Never Let You Go, Rudimental were like the musical equivalent of an Instagram inspirational quotes account. The show perfectly evoked the Coca Cola ad aesthetic they so obviously shoot for with some of the most inoffensive pop you will ever hear. They also crammed in some inappropriate dub-core breakdowns and random brass for good measure.
Resident jock of the group, DJ Locksmith introduced Not Giving In with, “I’m gonna dedicate this next song to my six-year-old son,” which would’ve been a nice sentiment had I not seen him do the exact same thing during a YouTube live video earlier that day. He even recycled the equally cheesy segue into their 2013 charting single, Waiting All Night: “We’ve been waiting all night for you guys,” causing me to laugh into my drink. Hey, if it worked at Glastonbury 2014, why change it up?
What really stuck was the homogeneity of the whole thing, with the same breakbeat-esque dubstep breakdown employed at least ten times during the first half of the night. After following yet another build-up-and-release with the second trumpet solo of the night, which was about as entertaining as it sounds, it became clear the crowd were just eating it up. Love Ain’t Just A Word, which contains the lyrics “Love ain’t just a word, love can change the world,” had nearly the entire venue holding up heart signs and singing along.
So, while I’d love to end this by saying the show was a failure, it almost certainly wasn’t. Rudimental sold out the place, and everyone in there looked like they were having the best night of their life. Shortly after the gig started, my mate leaned over to me and yelled, “I thought dubstep was dead”. If only.
BY MICHAEL CLARK
Photo by Ian Laidlaw
Loved: The sold-out crowd having a good old time.
Hated: Recycled stage banter.
Drank: Not enough.
