Mr Hudson and the Library

Chalk offers more than your average gig, as all types of electro, hip-hop and danceable music can be found at this weekly event. Topping the bill at the Scala this week were the heavily tipped Mr Hudson and the Library. Fusing reggae, soul, jazz and rock, their presence seemed apt for such a diverse clubnight.

With the Apache MC throwing down some drum n bass classics to a slightly bemused crowd upstairs, only the draw of Mr Hudson was strong enough to pull our attention away from the indie student types making shapes to the sounds of the Original Nuttah.

The call and response tactics that Apache MC had employed to great effect had obviously made an impression, as Mr Hudson seemed determined to similarly engage the audience. Fresh from their tour of libraries across the UK, the band rose to the challenge of the less intimate venue.

The consensus before the event was that Mr Hudson’s eclectic style would come across better live than on record. Multi-instrumental and improvised music often is, and their set did not disappoint. The frontman himself looks somewhat like Rutger Hauer in Blade Runner; not what you’d expect from a singer with such a soulful voice.

Although performed with style and verve, after the raw energy of The Longcut and the pumping tech-house coming from upstairs the elegant funk of Mr Hudson and the Library seemed somewhat incongruous. Unlike the other acts, all eyes were on the stage, instead of rolling in skulls.

The set was perfectly pleasant, but it seemed as though the best received tunes were the ones where Mr Hudson relinquished the spotlight. His band includes the talented Joy Joseph on the ever-welcome steel drums. Her turn at the vocal reigns elicited a deservedly rapturous response.

Finishing on the cracking single 'Too Late, Too Late’, Mr Hudson and The Library were obviously a success, and the most intriguing artists of the evening. Their laid-back melodic style promises to be the perfect summer festival act.