8 Miles Away

The Drum rumbles with an unexpected collaboration of hip-hop and jazz music, hosting Battle in the Box- the open mic. rap night. Audience members were called to battle; freestyling on topics that ranged from Barack Obama’s Nobel Peace prize to Marge Simpson featuring on the front cover of Playboy, under the effortless hum of the band, consisting of a drummer, bass and keyboard player. Host Soweto Kinch also employed other gimmicks, such as hats and buzzwords (often of political content) to focus the musical wit, avoiding the tedium of ‘your mum’ lines. The audience, which started ‘small but perfectly formed,’ grew both in size and confidence as they were called upon to rate the MCs in each battle, using a flawless scientific scale of 1-4. Audience participation was paramount to the running of this show and encouraged with a catchy chorus; “Skipped on down to the live box: to the L, to the I, to the V, to the E.”

The night was funny, witty, politically informative and not to forget musically invigorating. The effortless bass playing was particularly remarkable. The Live Box is a completely unique performance concept and is a melting pot of talent. Whilst improvisation was at its core, talent and charisma sprawled out of it’s limbs. The winner of the battle won recording time, as sponsored by NU Century Arts. Whether a budding MC, this weekly Birmingham event is not to be missed. Shows rotate between the Hare and Hound, The Drum and The Y Centre. Nicole Zandi Red Brick