Once again, from Brighton with love - Samsara and King Porter Stomp @ Hootananny

It was oneof those Fridays that you start with the score 0 – 1, one man down and yourbest player injured. You know, you go out for a few drinks on Thursday evening,thinking ‘why not, the week is almost gone’, followed by the classic ‘what thehell, one more is not going to kill me’, and by the time you go back to yourcentre, the tubes are ancient history and all you have left in your wallet is apiece of paper reminding that you need to call your aunt for her birthday. Atthat moment your thoughts are not very clear, though you have the certaintythat you will want to kill anyone that speaks to you before 11 AM on thefollowing day.

I got up onthat Friday morning feeling a bit hangovered, and what was worse, knowing I had a bloody long day aheadof me; it looked like the last sigh of the working week was going to score afew more goals on me, giving the match a shameful end. But in one of those miracles, as the day went by I somehow managed to get a bit of energy from a deep hidden corner ofmy body and soul, and right after got back from work I decided to go out andlisten to some reggae in good old Brixton.

Hootanannyhad been - onceagain - thechosen venue by the music promotion agency Wormfood to bring the Brighton reggae,ska and hip-hop crew to London, to make a very clear point: the vibe comes fromthe south.

Samsara was the first band I watched on that rainyFriday. I had seen them before and I had quite liked their upbeat style, in themood of some American reggae bands (they reminded me to Soldiers of Jah Army - SOJA),but with some unmistakable British colours; those you can only get if you grewup in the land where Madness hypnotised an entire generation with their crazy brassmelodies.

The band livedto my expectations. Jez, the voice, guitar and frontman of Samsara, was theconductor of a nicely assembled machinery that made us move (I’m tempted to sayjump) for more than an hour. Good singing, a great muted guitar and some catchywind lines. I was only slightly annoyed by the sound of the snare, whichreminded me (again!) of an old biscuits tin being hit with a spoon. What’s happening with soundengineers and their common drum-sense?

AfterSamsara shared their last tune, I had some time to do the interval must-dos. Imade my way to the bar and got a beer. Two very blond and tall men were about tohave Jagerbombs to my left. I looked them with my elbows on the bar, like I’dwatch the shootout at the end of a western movie. I still needed to go to thetoilet before the next act started, so lined up in one of those improvisedtrains made of people that serpentine through the venue between two or more places. Itook the 12.33 train, from The Bar to The Toilets, calling at Pool Table, Cloakroomand The Toilets. The coach in front of me was a girl with big curly hair, smellinglike sweat and vanilla.

King Porter Stomp took the stage with their 7-piece band a fewminutes before 1 AM. You could feel the power of the band when they played thefirst chord. No Stratocasters; the guitar was a Gibson Les Paul, announcingthat the rhythmic section was going to be heavier this time. The groove hadentered the house, mixing some funky chords with a very solid wind section, reggaekick-drums in 3 and hip-hop lyrics. It was certainly an interesting boat, whichthe frontman and MC of the band steered skilfully with spot on rimes. Withinthe audience you could see loads of American college jackets and baseball caps;I bet Snoop Dog would have liked these guys.

KPS’ set oscillatedcomfortably between powerful bass lines, drums breaks and frenetic ska jumping;energy is the word that first comes to my mind to describe their show. Myfavourite tune? Last Bat Train To Cuba,with its catchy chorus, an amazing intro and riff by the horns section.

By the timethe bands finished playing we were - as usually after a full on Brixtongig -exhausted and ready to go home. I thought about the many good band fromBrighton had seen in the last year. Maybe it’s time I drag myself there and getunder the skin of the South England full music experience. It seems like that’swere all the good stuff is coming from nowadays.