Under-rehearsed, self-indulgent and bizarre. This was the feeling of many fans last night after Knowle West boy Tricky returned to his home town of Bristol to play his most famous album Maxinquaye alongside Martina Topley Bird for the first time in 15 years. Here is what the people of Twitter thought:
@Daniel_Penfold Home crowd, beloved album, great musicians – He should’ve nailed it. He decided not to attend…pretty much
@Piphondog Good to see Tricky back home in Bristol! Not sure he knows where he is but that’s normal!
@olikendall Well, that was bizarre tricky gig, but enjoyable!
@mattycurry Tricky gig kinda dissappointing. Martine doing admirably but it’s a bit of a self indulgent mess. Said on stage he thinks Maxinquayes boring. @MartinaTB you were great tonight – struggling, frankly, in the face of adversity. Tell Tricky off and get him to sodding rehearse, eh?
@Andy_C999 Bizarre gig but I enjoyed. Hell is round the corner was a proper moment. Not sure about the end tho
@Yatin_Amin Reply Tricky doing Maxinquaye was insane. The crowd however was full of twats :/
@wovs Tricky gig was about a quarter the best thing ever. An eighth interesting and different. An eighth weird. And a half a bit rubbish.
@giggoinggirl Tricky Bristol gig was ace right up to the point where he said he was bored of the maxinquaye stuff…I wasn’t! Martina T-B was amazing.
@cole007 Weird gig tonight – @KnowleWestboy (Tricky) conspicuous by his absence on stage but @MartinaTB was fantastic
While yes it was a bit frustrating him going off stage every other song, if you listen to the album it’s Martina Topley Bird who does the majority of the vocals anyway. Also, I don’t agree that a gig should be just like listening to the record, I want to see a performance, something you aren’t going to get anywhere else and he certainly delivered on that. Don’t forget this was his homecoming gig for his biggest album, amongst his family etc, so why not make the most of it. Also, the crowd (well in the downstairs area), got the opportunity to mix with him, both off stage and on. yeah he was caught up in it, though better that than being aloof and making you feel they’re only doing it to plug a record. Well worth it and would see him again.
I was at the O2 Academy and I totally agree with your first sentence: “Under-rehearsed, self-indulgent and bizarre”. And I would add very disappointing…
I too was at the O2… Self Indulgent and Bizzare… thats Tricky!! I thought it spontaneous rather than under-rehearsed. I loved it and can’t get ‘Sweet Dreams my friend…’ out of my head! What is the song??
Yes. Please. What is this song?
For those that didnt enjoy last night, I hope that you enjoy the Steps reunion gig! Unpredictable, spontaneous, real – eveything you should expect of Tricky. Oh, and I am now officially a friend of his – he told me so when he thanked me for turning out for his show!!
The gig was intense, the tension between Tricky & Martina TB palpable (he told her to fuck off at one stage and she tearfully apologised for being ‘sad’ at the end). Surely these were the kind of sparks and ‘creative passion’ that birthed the album in the 1st place? Second best gig I’ve ever been too after Gogol Bordello and they were just as anarchic!
One if the most bonkers gigs I’ve ever been too (and I’ve been to a lot!!) still can’t decide whether I enjoyed it or not
The give-away came in the first 2 minutes when the rear stage door opened to let the band on – it was like chugging on a massive bong, such was the cloud of dope smoke that rolled off the stage. I swear there was more than spurting from the smoke machines. Certainly, I couldn’t do my job after smoking that much and neither could Tricky. The gig was a mess. Some folks might claim it was spontaneous and, well, ‘just Tricky’ but the reality was that it was messy, shambolic, unrehearsed and unprofessional. A home gig to the people that have supported him over the years should have been a triumph but he tramped all over any sentiment by claiming he was ‘bored with Maxinquaye’ and going off frequently off road. And off stage – at every opportunity – to suck on another spliff with his old hanger-on who also haven’t done anything else with their lives in 20 years. Poor old Martina struggled to keep it together, as did the band, but any efforts were destroyed by his little brother and playmates pretending to be rappers.
This explains why Massive have gone on to great success and Tricky hasn’t – he’s too stupid and bombed out to develop the talent he promisingly once had. Disappointing and a waste of people’s time and money.