Plan B

14/04/2010

Chart topping Big Issue cover star @ Classic Grand, Glasgow

Plan B
Classic Grand, Glasgow
4/5
 
There are certain moments in music history when the sense of being on the cusp of something exceptional is palpable. As the walls of this former porno cinema shudder to riotous, anticipatory battlecries of "Here we fucking GO" from unlikely mishmash of acolytes – indie kids, hip hop rebels and not least his newly acquired soulboy following –there is no mistaking that Plan B is a man about to step up to greatness.

The opening act, an impressive one-man beat box machine, manages to MC the crowd into a pre-'B frenzy, and on arrival, this week's Big Issue cover star does not disappoint. ‘Writing's On The Wall’ opens with the odd episode of mic feed back, yet Ben Drew (as he's prosaically known in daylight hours) remains true to his new style and is passionately soulful – a shuddering handbrake-turn from his grimey rap history that grabbed the pop world by its labelswith the release of his Number One-bound album, Plan B Presents: The Defamation of Strickland Banks. Flanked by a five-piece band in sharp suits, the 26-year-old seems miles away from the 'chav' tough guy of films like Harry Brown.

Flitting between spoken word and a gentle croon, there remains an admirable amount of attitude in B's delivery, defying critics who claim he has gone soft. Words are crucial to B's performance, language is his lifeblood. ‘Welcome To Hell’ tells the story of fictional alter-ego Strickland Banks' first day in prison and his story unfurls throughout the set, Drew introducing each song by explaining its meaning. ‘Traded in My Cigarettes’, with cooing backing vocals and prominent piano harmony, it makes for an unexpected backdrop to a song about fighting for life in prison, Shawshank style.

Single ‘She Said’ is a marked highlight, faithful to the recording but with idiosyncrasies live, welcomed by the ubiquitous sea of camera phones. Some mid-set tracks are less memorable, sticking to the new blueprint that B has drawn up but with less vigour. But it's the quieter songs that showcase Drew's vocal ability, making his stylistic switch more credible, approaching Marvin Gaye territory.

Despite the continuing technical hitches and occasional fluff by the band, Drew is good humoured. “Shit happens," he shrugs – Plan B’s motto for life?

Album closer, ‘What You Gonna Do’, finishes the set, before the gang return for an encore complete with Bill Withers and Seal covers, with just enough grime added into the mix, and hip hit ‘Stay Too Long’.

Looking around at the enraptured crowd, many faces could easily be those your mum avoids sitting next to on the bus. But that's exactly what Plan B is about: looking us square in the eye and forcing us to challenge our perceptions, while seducing us one by one... soulboys, chav-rappers and indie kids alike. 

Lauren Mayberry