Wiley: The Elusive Tour, Concorde 2, Brighton, April 12 (From The Argus)

Wiley: The Elusive Tour, Concorde 2, Brighton, April 12

9:08am Thursday 14th April 2011 in Music Reviews By Jack Prescott

HAVING given a leg-up to such artists as Dizzee Rascal and Tinchy Stryder, east London MC Wiley could easily be cast in the role of Beethoven’s lesser-known mentor Salieri for the story of the UK grime scene.

His biggest hit to date is 2008’s number two single Wearing My Rolex, though this flirtation with commercial success is only a sub-plot in a story which has seen him jump from one record label to another, threatening to quit music altogether, whilst his contemporarieshave crossed genres, reaching wider audiences.

Touring his latest album, 100% Publishing, the boy from Bow played to a pumped-up crowd of sweaty teens, as rowdy a mob as you’re likely to find in Brighton on a Tuesday night despite the giddy atmosphere of a school disco.

The Concorde 2 felt tremulous, shaking under the oppressive weight of the bass underpinning such songs as From The Drop, Take That and, of course, Wearing My Rolex as Wiley stood on top of the speakers and reached out toward his camera phone-toting audience.

He often looked so laid-back it was unclear if Wiley was just going through the motions. His rhymes didn’t lack the frenetic buzz which defines grime, but he moved statically around the stage and it was only when joined by MC J2K on Find A Way that he loosened up.

As baffling as he can be, Wiley understood the audience and delivered the goods with an impressive consistency. Another day, another dollar for the godfather of grime.