‘I'M JUST GOING TO BE DA
BIZZLE NO MATTER WHAT TYPE OF MUSIC I'M WORKING WITH'
Bizniz sense
He’s loved as much by indie kids as he is by grime scene hardcore. Miles Johnson reckons its all because Lethal Bizzle is smarter than your average MC
[is stilticlllllL‘s said yott islltm you‘ye hit the big
titnc \yhen your song gets banned. London .\l(‘
|.ethal Binle miqu not base reached the notoriety oi the Se\ l’istols \\ hen his infamous track 'l’oyyl (lioryyard Riddimi‘ \yas banished l‘rom clubs across the country in 2003 for inspiring mass brayyls. but he has been steadily channelling the momentum gained from the chart hit eyer since.
And it‘s not just his trademark machine gun \‘ocal deliy'ery that has seen 23-year-old Maxwell .-\n.sah‘s stock steadily rise. The sell—appointed '(irime Minister" is arguably l'ls' urban music‘s shreyydest practitioner. haying successfully reached an indie
audience through collaborations and tours \\ ith guitar
bands including Babyshambles. 'l'est-lcicles. and most recently. (ialloyx s. His crossoy er status has noyy been cemented. haying mm a place on this year's .\'.\II:‘ Rock'n'Roll Riot Tour alongside ('oy entry 's The Enemy. but does he eyer feel out of place'.’
‘.-\ lot of artists just keep doing the same old thing.‘ he says. ‘lior tne it‘s tnore about trying to find something fresh to do that‘s inspiring.'
Haying preyiously been a stalyy art of the Iiast London pirate radio scene that span ned such notables as l)i//ee Rascal and Kano. Bi//le's t‘irst collaboration outside ol‘ his local scene \y as with the short liyed ’l‘est-lcicles. a band \sith “born he found he shared more musical ground than e\pected.
‘They weren‘t just a normal guitar band. Their
music had elements ol‘ grime and hip hop Much I could get doyyn with It made me more open to \york'ing with people I \youldn‘t normally \york \yith.
And that‘s what it‘s about: breaking barriers.‘
l-'or .\l('s maybe more than anyone else there is. of
course. alyyays the risk of alienating your original l‘anbase \yhen moying into unl’amiliar territory. Bi//le. itt)\\L‘\'L‘l‘. feels he has retained grime fans as successfully as \\ inning oy'er the swarms of indie kids that non attend his perl'tirmances.
‘I perform all my tunes at my shoyys and eyeryone gets down to it.' he say s. ‘.\'o matter what type ol' beat l'm spitting on I’m just me. I ain‘t going to start singing or anything. I‘m jtist going to be l)a Bi/lle no matter \\ hat type of music I'm working \y'itlt.'
Bi/xle's enthusiasm for experimentation. hoyyey er. is coupled “ith a feeling that other grime artists are holding the fledgling underground scene back by l‘orgetting \\ hat tnade it popular in the lirst place.
‘.-\ ten of the key players haye delinitely l‘orgotten \yhat the grime thing is about. 1 don‘t “ant to say grime is dead or anything because with people like me. Kano and l)i//ee it's still going strong.‘
.-\nd unit Lethal Bil/le set to present himself to an unprecedented number of young music fans. it \s'ould be hard to doubt his prognosis. l-‘rom his appearance on the charity edition ot‘ '19)]; (;(’(ll' — \yhere (’lark‘son referred to him as 'Ji//y 'l‘issue' — to Jay-7. performing oy'er ‘Poyy 3‘ onstage at the Royal Albert Hall. BiHle‘s career so far may haye been a yaried one. but tieyy could eyer doubt his focus.
Lethal Bizzle plays as part of the NME Rock’n’ Roll Riot Tour, Barrowland, Glasgow, Fri 5 Oct and solo at the Arches, Glasgow, Sun 2 Dec.
>l<
THE BEST ROCK. POP, JAZZ & FOLK
3' Acoustic Ladyland Pete Wareham's genius punk ia/x quartet return wrtl‘. a breathtaking live album in tow. Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, Mon 8 Oct. (Rock (‘4 l ’Op, Jam ~‘s Oxjam A whole month of fine music in aid of Oxfam including local heroes We Were Promised Jetpacks and lsosceles in Glasgow on l n 1). See listings for full details. Various venues, various (kites. (Rock 8. Pop)
The Enemy, Lethal Bizzle and The Wombats See preview. left. Barrow/and, Glasgow, Fri 5 Oct. SOLD OUT (Rock a Pop)
Frlbo and Auvo Quartet These bands produce a furious fusion of Nordic and celtic sounds to produce something truly original music. Leith Folk Club, Edinburgh. Sun 74 Oct; Universal, Glasgow, Mon 75 Oct. (Folk)
Ani DiFranco and Hamell on Trial A double bill to be reckoned with of distinct songwriters who trade in very different styles: bruised. acoustic blues and satirical. agit folk. ABC, Glasgow. Sun 7 Oct. (Rock 8 Pop)
-" Spies in the Wires Spies go out with a bang in the esteemed company of London electro-muppets Trash Fashion (who also turn up at Pop Shop in Glasgow the night after). Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh. Thu 77 Oct. (Rock 8. Pop)
:1: Mental Health Awareness Month A month long season of events raising awareness about mental health issues. The musical festivies kick off with a show starring BMX Bandits, Norman Blake. Billy Boyd's band Beecake and more. See listings for more details. The Loft, Glasgow, Fri
7 2 Oct. (Rock & Pop)
27 "d C'.‘ " THE LIST 61