LDN's Plan B in Sydney Basement

With much anticipation possibly too many beers were consumed in the lead up to rapper Plan B out of Forest Gate, LDN taking the stage at Sydney's Basement – a venue not very wallet-friendly. We were truly primed for Mr Ben Drew (as his passport reads) while Aussie MC Anecdote warmed the crowd. While tight in an Eminem way Anecdote lost points for poaching that "Damon Wayans, Major Payne" Biggie line right at the end and not acknowledging it – bad form. Before he took the stage someone spotted the young scamp spewing in the bathroom and siting nerves. I'm surprised he didn't rap something about "vomit already, mom's spaghetti" like Eminem's Rabbit. But kudos nonetheless cos TNT couldn't get up on stage.

Plan B, however showed nerves of steal. With his acoustic guitar he opened with the favourite "Kidz" and made it clear for those who may not know his material, Plan B is about no messing, he's gritty and intense. After moving to the very RnB "Charmaine", getting his Timberlake-melodies on, the intensity built. His guitar strings weren't so much strummed as beaten through a couple more tracks. But there is only so much intensity one can capture with a guitar, even with his spitfire lyrics.

So DJ Benny came out and from there took it to the next level. A clangy metal hip-hop beat and Prodigy sample made "No Good" a singalong. By the end of the night it was a massive Rage Against The Machine/Drum n Bass party in the Basement, the low ceiling well and truly raised. With no more songs in his repertoire, and his encore complete the small crowd wanted more. A cover was PLan B's plan B. Mobb Deep's "Shook Ones" had the crowd bouncing and rather than ripping off the line to be his own like Anecdote, let it be known where his roots lie, to quote Mobb Deep themselves "He ain't a crook son, He's just a shook one."

TNT left drunk and merry to have seen yet another London MC (Jamie T a couple of weeks back) in a small venue, as opposed to with a bigger crowd back in the UK.