Cardiff was out in force last Thursday to support its king of grime, Mace The Great. Performing live at Clwb Ifor Bach in collaboration with Independent Venue Week, it was a jawdroppingly good night – and well thought out, the atmosphere building throughout the evening.
Before stepping into the limelight himself, MTG elevated other local artists, with bilingual singer-songwriter Lily Beau first to perform. Captivating the audience with her soulful voice and striking instrumentation – her delicate piano soon to be changed to dirty grime this evening – Round And Round In Circles was my highlight; I look forward to seeing more of Lily.
Juice Menace was next to step onstage: someone I’d been looking forward to seeing live for a long time, she blew me away. Her and DJ Minas transformed the room in moments, the crowd obediently moving up front to fill the dance floor as the outrageously sassy Welsh MC showed off her swag and sick flow. Barely catching a breath during a performance that includes numbers like Sundown and a sneak peek of new tune, Can’t Complain, Juice was fierce: stand back and hear her roar, she’s definitely one to watch.
Mace didn’t leave us waiting for long and jumped straight into his set, proudly repping Cardiff and clearly focused. Though maintaining a humble stance, thanking us all for being there, there was little time for talking in between tracks during this savage performance. The love from friends, family and fans smothered every soul in the room.
Again, the headliner took time to bring guests to the stage, including another local favourite Luke RV. A lonely stoner with a unique flow and epic storytelling skills, Luke was perfect to simmer down the energy in the room, his and Mace’s performance colliding perfectly as both grinned like Cheshire cats but maintained a serious stance whilst spitting their bars. By the end of their set, the stage was full of audience members clad in Mace’s Homecoming merch – solidarity among the community, which is what the south Wales scene is all about.
Gracing the stage solo once more, MTG brought the show to an end with some absolute bangers, a brand new one featuring amidst My Side Of The Bridge and the infamous Brave. At one point, it felt like the dancefloor was going to shatter as the energy erupted in the room. Although he’d been performing for nearly an hour, his delivery and flow were on point. I can’t wait to see Mace The Great performing at even bigger venues: he works so hard to perfect his craft and deserves all the success in the world.
words LAURA FEDELI (Honest Rebel) photos CHARLIE J
