One hit wonders or white rap icons? However you look at House Of Pain, one thing is sure, tonight was about the room hearing THAT one song. But more about that later.
First up were The Havknotz. A DJ, an MC and a bass player mixing up rock riffs with beats and rhymes that hark back to 90’s hip hop. At times they sounded like Limp Bizkit without the wankery, some parts Rage Against The Machine, and a healthy dose of their idols and headliners House Of Pain. Pumping the crowd for the main act they put out a bouncing set. The guy on the crowd in the Celtics singlet provided entertainment with his animated dancing and the highlight track was Junkie Bullshit, which after the incident I had seen earlier in the day I could relate with the message. Their reference point of the Judgement Day soundtrack took me back to my teens in 90s. Anyone who was that age back then will know what I mean and have fond memories also.
While waiting for them to come out, this thought crossed my mind. If they played Jump Around first, would I bother sticking out the rest of the set. Let’s face it, it’s the song we all know and came here to hear. Thankfully that wasn’t the case and tonight we all got a lesson in old skool hip hop by masters of the genre.
Opening with a funk driven rock instrumental before hitting Danny Boy the guys owned the Manning Bar. Back From Dead and Gangsta Shit lit up the floor. Everlast gave us a cover of Johnny Cash’s Folsom Prison Blues that took us to that seedy southern bourbon bar before playing solo tracks including What it’s Like.
And then it came. That one song everyone in the world knows from bad FM radio, teen movie soundtracks and shitty nightclubs… Jump Around. The floor shook with hundreds of people jumping like pogo sticks to that one song. The definitive highlight. Yes, House Of Pain are older and larger, but they can still run rings around most of you.
