To the uninitiated, the GLC probably look like a large group of trendy chavs, what with their heavy jewellery, nylon sportswear and loud, ballsy behaviour. Bounding onto the stage with bouncy, energetic dance moves and hilarious banter, the clan broke into their usual repertoire of funnies including tracks from their ‘Greatest Hits’ album which made it to number five in the charts last year along with some new material from their highly anticipated new album which is set for release later this year. They’re not chavs though; merely comedians. The guys entertain to laugh-out-loud standard, poke fun at each other and the crowd and talk/rap mostly about smoking cannabis. This gig then, which was part of the seventeen date ‘Road to Rehab’ tour, wasn’t a great deal different to the last I saw in winter 2004. They certainly haven’t stopped being funny, but what has happened since then is that the band now appeal to a far larger audience. There was no age restriction on this gig (except that under 14s had to be accompanied by an adult) and whilst a large proportion of the crowd was students (from which a large cloud of interesting smelling smoke kept arising) a number of youngsters (who sang along to each track like obsessive teeny-boppers) were also present. A lot of these kids had also dressed up to look like their foul-mouthed heroes and there was a permanent crowd of them around the merchandise stall as they spent their hard-earned pennies on a “You Knows It!” or “Will Breakdance for Money” t-shirt.
I thought the GLC were a real giggle, truly ‘safe as f**k’ in their own words, but it’s a shame that releasing novelty records has brought them a teenage fan club rather than an older, comedy-loving following. My suspicions of the latter were confirmed when I had flyer stuffed into my hand advertising GLC ringtones and wallpapers. Worth £16 for the ticket? Nup.
Rating: 3/5
Words by: Sarah Chapman
