live music

Editor's rating

Venue: The Roundhouse, London
Gig played: 14 March 2009

In the 14 years since Q-Tip proved he could kick it in London with his fellow A Tribe Called Quest affiliates, he's gone a bit weird. After making a commercial killing with debut album Amplified, the bohemian rapper unashamedly burst the pop bubble with the never-released follow-up Kamaal The Abstract, shunning jazzy hip-hop for folky acoustic ramblings. It threatened to strip him of his street cred, but latest album The Renaissance has restored the icon to his former glory.

Q-Tip rocks the stage tonight which such fervent authority that when he commands those on the balcony stand and sing along to 'Gettin' Up', he doesn't need to ask twice. That said, he's doesn't throw his bravado around just for the fun of it. The 38-year-old is a quintessential rock star, unafraid to put on a show with plenty of theatrics and surprises. At one point he's blowing on a whistle and dancing on speakers; at another, he's swimming in the crowd and enjoying the mass embrace.

Even when his singing is a bit iffy, like on 'We Fight/We Love', the reckless energy makes up for it. During the 90-minute show, he sets the crowd off with a mixture of Tribe Called Quest classics and cuts from the new album.

Oldies 'Scenario' and 'Check The Rhime' inspire widespread delirium while 'Vivrant Thing' is met with a roar of appreciation. Q-Tip finally cleans up with his old outfit's infamous hit 'Award Tour', before ending on the delicate 'Life Is Better' and picking out members of the crowd to sing along. Q-Tip has made up for lost time in a single evening. We can only hope he'll be back be sooner rather than later.

Matilda Egere-Cooper