REVIEW: WRETCH 32 AT BRISTOL O2 ACADEMY (26/10/11)
Earlier this year, I was at South West Four festival to see Pendulum play. Overall, that day was a wash out both weather and talent wise. One of the acts that day affected by this was Wretch 32, who last night bought his Black and White tour to Bristol. Time for a show to prove that it was the rain and not the man himself responsible for that poor set.
With the opening three tracks of his set including the fan favourite, Unorthodox, a collaboration with a non-present Example, the 26-year old Londoner brought a whole new energy to his performance that was missing all those months ago. From that open, I thought we were in for a night to remember.
However, this was not always the case because following that start, the energy seemed to drain away for most of the rest of the main set. This was especially true of the slower songs. Try as he might he really was in risk of losing the crowd during those quieter moments.
It’s not to say there weren’t some good points during the set. In particular, the swagger was there for Don’t Be Afraid. Plus the dropping of a cover version of Coldplay’s Yellow into his own track Don’t Go, alongside appropriately colour schemed lighting was a great moment.
His band were incredible, as were all of the featured artists. By the time his big hit Traktor came around in the encore, you saw Wretch at his best. The big problem is I wish there was more of that and less of the downs, which tempered an otherwise fun night. The star man was, in the end, overshadowed by his superior support team, which is a real pity.
Words: Rich Peck
Photo: Laura Palmer
