Smashing Mag / Lee 'Scratch' Perry with Mad Professor @ Nishiazabu Yellow (5th Feb '04)

Lee 'Scratch' Perry with Mad Professor
@ Nishiazabu Yellow (5th Feb '04)

Hot Love from Scratch
The full moon exerted a mean force at Yellow Thursday night, riling up its deep dancehall into a tidal pool of dubmania. As the matchless Lee "Scratch" Perry took to the stage with the Mad Professor, bodies uncontrollably swept fully across the room propelled by who knows what powers, swiveling in mass until something had to give. And it was me. I was spat out the door and had to repair to the bar to calm down with a whiskey and catch the first two songs on the overhead. An energetic intro of classic dub had laid the groundwork for a crowd hungry for the real deal, and when Perry arrived they were ready, as was he. Showing up on stage with his trademark hat and mic holder covered in trinkets, Perry strutted back and forth in full possession of the evening. He is the original verbalizer, the mysterious capitalizer, the big Upsetter of small size. When I fought back through the mysterious portal, witnessing several others being unceremoniously spat out as I had been, Perry was preaching the gospel of "Hot Love". It is a cure whatever ails you, Hot Love. Have it in the morning, the evening, Hot Love. I am a believer, Hot Love. And then in a rhythmic, mesmerizing chant Perry trips the words off his demonic tongue: "When I shit my enemies cry, when I speak they die. I am on top. With roots records, dub revolution, black arkology, I am the black monarchy. I am a rebel, I step on the devil, I am a rebel, I trap the devil!" With that the music kicks in to a kicking version of "Soul Rebel". As Mad Professor took over the stage, finally a few of the audience relented, heading up to Yellow's lounge for a Superbowl party of dub on screen. Below the Professor kept the evening going with a mix of canned and fresh tunes dropped for a still swaying crowd. But the highlight was definitely Perry, an elder of reggae, a madman of inspiration and a verbal trickster. A drop of five or ten percent of the door would have made this a one of a kind show, but as it stands it was worth it alone to see a legend.