Bob Vylan is perhaps one of the most important acts on the UK music scene. The groundbreaking artist fuses punk rock with rap and grime, resulting in a sound that is both potent and original.
And whilst old-school punks may give the dynamic duo stick for their lack of a traditional band dynamic without guitars and bass, on stage watching Bob Vylan perform live, you don't seem to miss it. Perhaps it's due to the group's relentless energy, frantically marching the stage from side to side as if they were doing laps on a race track. Bob Vylan fills the space on stage better than two additional band members ever could.
Touring in support of their new album Humble as the Sun, Bob Vylan returned to Tyneside on Tuesday night and delivered a show that illustrated why the artist has been lauded as one of the most exciting live acts on the touring circuit.
A Bob Vylan show is unlike any other. To warm the crowd up, quite literally, Bob prepared the audience for the energetic night ahead with a session of light stretching and meditation before taking to the task at hand.
Vylan’s lyrical prowess and potent lyricism grapple with politically tinged subjects. Songs in the set such as We Live Here, I Heard You Want Your Country Back, and GDP are perfect examples of this.
By their admission, Bob Vylan’s latest offering has more of an uplifting, positive angle than the artist's earlier works, but perhaps that's what the world needs in these troubling times. Seven songs from Humble as the Sun featured in the set, including Dream Big, Right Here, and He's A Man, to name but a few.
Vylan’s passionate delivery fuelled the crowd all night, with crowd surfers propelling themselves towards the stage frequently throughout the evening. The artist even participated in the activity himself at one point in the set, providing the fans with an up close and personal encounter.
And although the local accent might have thrown the artist at first. With frequent chants of Toon Army, one member of the crowd explained to Bob that Toon meant town. And although football is not the frontman's favourite pastime and drummer (also named Bob) is an Arsenal fan, the singer amped up the audience during the evening by getting involved in the football chants himself.
Having performed far and wide in recent times, Bob Vylan has acquired a multitude of monikers from the media and fans alike. These include The Tracksuit Terrors, The Fred Perry Mafia, The Slam Dunk Hooligans and The Kerrang Band Killers, each of which the band proudly wear as badges of honour. Based upon the strength of the response Bob Vylan received in Newcastle, in the North East, perhaps they could add 'The Toon Army Twosome' to their list.
The sound of Walking on Sunshine by Katrina and the Waves played the band offstage. The title illustrates just what the majority were feeling at the end of the evening. They may be Vylan by name but certainly loved by their Tyneside fans. Keep dreaming big, guys.
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