CityLife

Mr B the Gentleman Rhymer

By Matt Johnson

THIS was my first adventure into the curiously sophisticated world of Chap-Hop.

Armed with a Banjolele, pipe and a neatly waxed moustache, Mr B, the gentleman rapper from Surrey, delivered a thoroughly entertaining set of his stiffly upper lipped rhythmical flow, spitting lyrical about gentry life and the perils of excessive living; sort of like sex, drugs and rock n roll, combined with tales of bourbon biscuits and tea.  

With a repertoire that included tracks by De La Soul and the Beastie Boys, as well as glam rockers Kiss, Mr B went about charting the history of hip hop, taking rap back its ‘Queen’s English’ roots, adapting the original songs to hilarious effect.    

With his witty ditties and comical stories, he had everybody demanding more, despite starting over an hour late due to the late running of the previous act. In the end however, he was certainly worth waiting for, and has to go down as one of my festival highlight thus far.  

His set was tight and finely tuned, his humour accessible and quirky, his style from an age long gone and his music less so.   I

t was just a shame it had to end so soon, but although this was his first time up in Manchester, judging by the response, I don’t think it will be his last.

Reviewed: Sat, 11 July, 2009

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