Black Uhuru were:

• Derrick ‘Duckie’ Simpson – Vocals
• Andrew Bees – Lead vocals
• Elsa Green – backing vocals
• Supported by some old black session musicians (bass/drums/keyboards/rhythm guitar) and a white dude with tattoos on lead guitar.

Luckily I saw the classic lineup of Black Uhuru in 1982 at Wembley Stadium supporting the Rolling Stones (alas I recall nothing from the day).  These days only Duckie remains as the stalwart holding their formidable legacy together so I was really looking forward to seeing them.

A sweaty night in the small but packed Jazz café in Camden finally saw the return of Black Uhuru (and about bloody time given all the previous cancellations!!).  Duckie and Andrew are a total contrast. Duckie barely moves, totally laid back, and just adds the odd bit of singing when required until he takes over lead vocals towards the end of the gig and even then barely breaks into a sweat.  Andrew on the other hand is a dynamic live wire, doing all the reggae moves and engaging the audience in singalongs.  He certainly has stage presence!  The rest of the band basically blend into the background (most with their dreads hidden in their tams), doing their job with minimum fuss.  They are a solid unit – pulsing repetitive hypnotic bass/drum really driving the beat for the whole evening.

Duckie’s performance was pretty much that of an interested bystander watching and conducting his band.  There were a number of occasions when Andrew had to restart a song, band obviously out of step, so they hadn’t had sufficient time to practice for this gig?  Not that this bothered the mixed crowd who danced and sang along enveloped in the rhythmic sound.

Set List (Click on the links to see the YouTube videos)
These are the songs I remember:

1. I Love King Selassie – (Live, 1984)
2. What Is Life? – (Anthem, 1984)
3. Shine Eye Gal – (Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, 1983)
4. Plastic Smile – (Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, 1983)
5. Black Uhuru Anthem – (Anthem, 1984)
6. As The World Turns – (As The World Turns, 2018)
7. Spectrum – (Strongg, 1994)
8. General Penitentiary – (Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, 1983)
9. Sponji Reggae – (Red, 1981)

Encore

1. Solidarity – (Anthem, 1984)
2. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner – (Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, 1983)
3. Happiness – (Sinsemilla, 1980)
4. Sinsemilla – (Sinsemilla, 1980)

The nearly 2 hour set was sprinkled with classic hits from their 80’s heyday and newer tracks from their last LP.  Some tracks were elongated into a rhythmic jam with the groove simply moving your body to the beat.  The diverse audience of young/old black/white is a testament to Black Uhuru’s enduring reggae greats legacy.  The band and audience connected on many levels (umm is that dope I smell?), there is a timeless appeal to their music.

All in all it was a night to celebrate Black Uhuru as true ambassadors of ‘proper’ reggae. Thank you Duckie for keeping the fire burning!

Marko [29 July 2024]