Listening to south London’s D Block Europe, you would be forgiven for thinking that the artist collective – led by the duo of Young Adz and Dirtbike LB – were American. Their silky beats, wavy melodies and creamy, intensely Auto-Tuned vocals all recall US trap music, an accomplished homage that took their independently released album Home Alone to No 6 in the UK charts last month.
As the collective fill the stage with a 10-plus crew (who mainly film the duo, who are occasionally joined by Lil Pino) their love of the genre is immediately underlined by an early outing of Gucci Mane, a track named after the trap pioneer. Played by their DJ through a giant system, it takes on a much tougher, vivacious, bass-heavy presence. It sets a tone for much of the evening – tracks that on record have slow grooves and subtly bouncy rhythms become beats that bite, snap and click.
The songs about drugs and sex are transformed into anthems as the crowd scream every word and the venue is engulfed in a haze of marijuana from the audience during Smoking. The likes of The Shard and Traphouse feel like bombs going off, with the floor feeling as if it may give way from the shuddering bass and leaping punters. Drinks rocket so often from the balcony that some of the audience put their hoods up for protection from the downpour.
At its best, the show explores duality: the flow and interplay between two long-term friends who intersperse styles and genres to create their own US/UK hybrid of hip-hop. They explore, too, the dynamics of their own songs by mutating slick flows into explosive mania. However, stretched over 90 minutes, the beats become a little formulaic, while their lyrical obsessions – women’s bodies and the codeine-based beverage lean – also add to the feeling of getting stuck in a revolving door.
The closing punches of NASSty and Kitchen Kings make for a potent and fiery finale but by now feel well-worn. D Block Europe are still dropping bombs, but you can see them coming.
• At Rescue Rooms, Nottingham, 21 March. Then touring until 27 March.
