Roots Manuva

Rating: 3 stars (out of 5)

Wednesday night’s Roots Manuva concert was everything that we have come to expect from The Liquid Room; a cramped but vibrant atmosphere, a somewhat pricy but intimate setting and a short but sweet performance. After an enjoyable show from Sheffield DJ Toddla T and his prancing, free-styling rap associate Serocee, Roots Manuva (aka Rodney Smith) took to the stage to produce a fun-packed set of classic UK Hip-Hop tunes, mixing old and new material to the delight of his enthusiastic audience. Dressed in low-slung jeans and a hoodie, and flanked by rapper Ricky Ranking and a female backing singer, Mr Smith looked like he was enjoying himself every bit as much as the crowd was, entertaining his guests with humorous ramblings about noise complaints, whisky and Edinburgh females. Despite Rodney’s people skills, however, the music was still strong enough to hold centre stage. ‘Again and Again’ opened things in loud, emphatic style, even if the scratching of the DJs behind seemed slightly overbearing, and things carried on in a similar, pulsating vein for the next hour. The trio worked well together on stage, with Ranking an important figure, although his solo performances halfway through were unnecessary and irritating considering the time restraints. Roots picked his songs well, focusing largely on crowd-pleasers, despite the notable absence of ‘Colossal Insight’. ‘Too Cold’, the sing-along anthem from his 2005 album ‘Awfully Deep’, was an early highlight, as was the famous ‘Witness (One Hope)’, but the best was suitably left until last as Rodney and co. engaged the audience’s participation for the feel-good hit ‘Dreamy Days’, before closing proceedings with an encore of recent single ‘Let the Spirit’. And so this brief encounter ended, audience happy but not entirely satisfied, wishing great live music didn’t have to finish at 10 for a club night.