Salute To The Wailers – review
'Salute To The Wailers', featuring Perfect Purple Band and The One Drop Symphony Orchestra
It is a testament to the enduring power of Bob Marley and the Wailers’ music that this retrospective at the Hackney Empire provided an evening of entertainment. The first twenty minutes of the show, a celebration of Jamaica’s first super-group, seemed to spell disaster – the auditorium was sparsely populated, and the sound quality unacceptably poor. Yet the infectious spirit of this enthusiastic group of performers ultimately salvaged a musical tribute which became increasingly absorbing as it progressed.
It was a case of letting the music take over, as the four central vocalists launched into impassioned versions of some of the Wailers’ biggest hits, backed by an impressive array of musicians. The strongest of the quartet, soul singer Caspian, delivered a memorable version of Concrete Jungle, amongst other numbers, while Mr Alexander, Blessed Karess and Anntoinette Griffiths contributed with equally heartfelt covers. They were ably assisted by Perfect Purple and The One Drop Symphony Orchestra, who added refreshing density to the original Wailers songs.
British soul sensation and television personality Mica Paris provided plenty of pizzazz as one of the guest stars, as did veteran British reggae legend Lloyd Brown. Paris’ duet with Mr Alexander on the stirring Turn Your Lights Down Low was one of the more tender moments of the evening, momentarily captivating the audience in an emotional reverie. The highlight of the evening, however, was an electrifying cameo appearance by former Wailer, Junior Marvin. He burst on to the stage with much needed kinetic energy, gesticulating to the now-enthused crowd and playing a version of The Heathen which included an exhilarating extended guitar solo. Although performing in a very different style to the original super-group, Marvin’s vivacity evoked powerful memories of the driving force that Bob Marley and Wailers were in their heyday.
An insistence on providing biographical details of the Wailers at regular intervals was a frustrating diversion and almost ruined the mood, especially when read dryly from a clipboard by well-meaning Choice FM DJ Daddy Ernie. However, the bits read by Jamaican-born actor and performer Count Prince Miller, a friend of the Wailers, were one of the true joys of the performance, as was watching percussionist Lenny Algernon-Edwards’ infectious rhythmic gestures.
As the evening ended with a soaring rendition of Exodus by the entire ensemble, one couldn’t help but reflect on what a dire shame it was that this group of excellent musicians had played to such a small audience. They deserve more, and when they return next year for another testimonial concert, either a bigger crowd or a smaller venue would do their passionate performances more justice.