Dubvocaliza

Dubvocaliza is comprised of Barrington Delvante on lead vocals, Laura Yael Julius on backing vocals, Steve Iree on steel drum, Dan Savery on drum and Big Johnny on percussion. Their sound is very much inspired by reggae, with more accessible overtones, almost like reggae-lite – which is not in anyway a criticism, because it really is exciting and uplifting. The two vocalists complement each other very well, with Delvante’s classic gruff reggae MCing set off by Julius’ much more soulful performance. The songs themselves are a good mix of social conscience (on songs such as 'Death Row’) with some songs about love thrown in to lighten the mix a little. Laura’s performance on 'Why did It End’ was particularly strong tonight, and highlights her individual strengths as a vocalist in her own right.

This was not a perfect performance by any means, and there are inevitably some criticisms that need to be made. The band perform with a backing tape, part recorded in the USA, and then rerecorded by the band themselves in the studio. This in itself is not a criticism. However, it could be argued that this actually leaves the drummers and percussionists rather vulnerable, and perhaps at times a little redundant. This isn’t to say that they don’t have a part to play. Iree on steel drum is an especially vital part of the live performance, even if sometimes he inadvertently becomes the focus of the mix.

Although a reggae band by trade, the finest moments of the night were reserved for the less conventional of their songs, thanks in no small part to the larger role played by Ms Julius, who when she takes centre stage really shows her potential star quality. The first is a Massive Attack-esque number. The stage lights dimmed give a real feel for the song, which is much darker than the bands other efforts. A Hebrew introduction is not the most obvious choice for a reggae band, but in the context of the song works really well, and the darker style suits Julius’ vocal stylings perfectly. The second is an acoustic guitar-led track, 'A Child is Born’, which again provides a nice change of pace from the reggae that has been exciting the senses for the past hour and a bit.

If there is one major problem with the band it is that most of their songs stick to a very narrow formula. The verse-chorus-verse-chorus, or Delvante-Julius-Delvante-Julius formula, works for the most part, but after two hours starts to wear a little thin. That having been said, there wasn’t a person sitting down during the second half of the show, with a mass stage invasion at the end of a set that saw band and crowd really enjoying themselves. Once the band learn what their strongest set is, and feel comfortable with culling some of the less extraordinary songs, they could be well on their way to a something big.