The labyrinth of Britain’s dance scene can seem hopelessly complicated, each genre and sub genre forever evolving and mutating, each defined by their own tangled genealogies. The arrival onto the scene of the Reverend Sound System is both timely and culturally relevant, the advent of indiestep even more so. The premise is simple: take a good healthy dose of indie and a good dollop of dubstep, blend together and enjoy the alchemy that is indiestep. Further combine Jon and Laura McClure, Matic Mouth and Ocelot and you have the perfect raw ingredients of an imaginative recipe they’ve well and truly mastered the art of baking.

I am excited. This excites me.

As the air that evening changed from the thick sweet haze of Mary Jane to one of eager anticipation, RSS took to the Sheffield HUBS stage and quite literally stormed it.

Playing to a small but spirited crowd, the progressive band dropped ‘Depth Charge’, a sub bass heavy track capable of blowing minds and sub woofers alike. Complemented by reverberant drum patterns and sparse synths, ‘Depth Charge’ is like a volcano smouldering away deep underground. It doesn’t erupt, the track doesn’t peak, but rather continues to growl and rumble, its mid-section placated by the vocals of Jon and Matic.
 

The sound is big, the sound is Northern, and it is inspired.

The marriage of indie and dubstep is one made in heaven and the Sheffield crowd is on one as Reverend’s own ‘Heavyweight Champion of the World’ is dropped and ‘The Machine’ is indiestepped into RSS’ ‘Window Wobbler’. Leaving Matic on stage whipping up a frenzy with his dancing and MCcing, Jon, wanting “some of that”, gets down and dirty with the crowd which goes mental when the Reverend announces the house party we’re all going to after the gig!

The gig is a culmination of bass and energy and it denotes pluralism at its very best. RSS live is a journey into the urban soundscape, with its many musical influences and genres being at once hypnotic and almost trance inducing. ‘Wife Her Up’ is testament to the immersive power and cultural inclusion of RSS, the full set grabbing you by the scruff of your neck, shaking you violently and dropping you, along with overwhelming bass lines and clipped samples, to continue the party. You might want to meditate on the bass weight, RSS wants you to bounce.

Check out http://www.myspace.com/thetruerss, get on it and spread the word!

Anouska Semp

(Photography by Charly Murgatroyd)