Saturday 9 March 2013


Dub Mafia 
The Cavern Friday 8 March 2013

Dub Mafia don't do anything quietly, they are big and bold by nature, their tunes there the to be noticed . They we're once a seven piece, now a five piece. They are old hands at Glastonbury, have performed at BBC sound sessions and now it's Exeter's turn to get a dose of bass craziness. Their mixed up quirky sound a grown in their hometown, Bristol, the natural home of great music like Tricky  and a banging alliterative scene. 

The Cavern is not the most glamorous clubs, it's small and grunge chic would be a kind way to describe it; if you want to bump into a celeb, go somewhere else. The Cavern is where you drink beer and even share a cuppa with your mates here not a bottle of champagne with a footballer . This small, quirky venue is perfectly suited to this energetic old school rave up band. There is hardly a divide between the audience and the band, this is a great advantage of playing in a small club. of  After long DJs sets of roots reggie the band starts subtly with the DJ, people soon notice  the main act have arrived. The singer is stunning and charismatic Eva Lazarus, all eyes are on her as her soulful vocals rise above the sometimes claustrophobic macho beats.Eva is not only a great singer but a flawless rapper. Tracks without her voice have real soul missing, she is the human, pumping heart of the band, the boys certainly have lots to do with the magic.  Eva responds to the audience, dancing with us. Eva is the star of the show but she gives the rest of the band and some crazy dancers space to be stars too, like a good DJ at an old school rave she is the main attraction out of many . The boys do a great job playing live instruments, three brothers, they told me backstage  keyboards and one deck, the one deck doesn't replace talent, it's used in totally original ways as another layer to their sound.  its a purposefully chaotic lawless sound the sometimes jars. The audience lap it up, there is a charged ravey, punky atmosphere and people are gong crazy, the best thing is these beats are live, you can see the drummer frantically banning out drum and bass and every other kind of dance music in front of our eyes. It's good to see the sweat on his brow and in turn he makes the audience sweat. The band changes styles with ease, this is no moronic bang bang bang techno act, it goes deeper than that, this music moves your emotions as well as your body, this is helped by a brilliant drummer who plays with passion and soul. unlike a drum machine. One track bleeds to another with abstract segways that showcase their musical skills and gives it the feel of a DJ set; like a great, classic set we are taken to l sorts of places along with the band.  There are some real gems in there but I am a little disappointed at times as they blend in a little to well, I would like more tracks to shine on their own.  

They are happy to talk backstage  meeting them give me clues as to how the magic is created. The band cram in a tiny back room to talk there's lots of free booze thanks to the much deserved rider; Dub Mafia party as hard as they play their tunes.The band are a clan, three are brothers. The chemistry between them is great, they can finish each others sentences; this is a family and when you go to a show you become one of their tribe. The an  sound is part of the whole ethos of the band, Eva told me "It's chaotic that's the style, it's chaotic beats..it's who we are as people". The band are very at home in The Cavern, there's even graffiti by Eva from when they last played. I asked them about Glastonbury  their modest about the crowd, one of the boys told me, "it depends what we're up against." and talked about the festival more than their sets. I ask them if they think we're good dancers in Exeter and she answered, "there were two guys in the front of raving it up tops off, hugging everyone."  She didn't appreciate people who weren't fully up for it,There was a blond girl at the front..I thought if our not up for dancing why did yo come?" . The band are more than just bass monsters and party animals, they play about five benefit gigs year benefiting good causes from around the world. This band love their life and are committed to the every aspect, it comes from every pore; if you get the chance, put your old stinky raving trainers, make sure your up for a dance and join the mafia for a night.