Stereoboard Tour of the Week - Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All
Friday, 18 November 2011
Written by Rob Sleigh
Controversial hip-hop? Whatever next? OK, so maybe the rap world has seen more than its fair share of hype and notoriety over the years with the various Eminems, NWAs and Ol’ Dirty Bastards that have been and gone. However, that isn’t to say that LA’s Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All don’t have something more to offer, as anyone planning to catch them on their 2012 UK tour is no doubt hoping to find out.
Controversy, however, is definitely something to which the 11-piece hip-hop collective are no stranger. Indeed, while few people would be able to name more than a couple of Odd Future’s songs, many more would almost certainly be able to identify the group’s frontman Tyler the Creator. In addition to being the most successful member of Odd Future, boasting a Top 10 solo album and an MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist, the 20-year-old rapper and producer has also been responsible for the majority of the group’s controversies to date.
One recent example, of course, was the online spat with Canadian duo Tegan and Sara, who accused Tyler of using homophobic and misogynistic lyrics in many of his songs. The nature of Odd Future’s language has certainly created frequent cause for discussion whenever the subject of the collective’s music has arisen. It’s probably fair to say that some of Tyler’s raps make most of Eminem’s work sound like nursery rhymes and it would be difficult to argue that this wasn’t at least a small factor behind the recent upsurge in the group’s popularity.
So, out of interest, what does Odd Future’s sole female member Syd Tha Kyd – who, incidentally, is gay – make of all this less-than-PC potty talk? In a recent chat with Interview Magazine, the young DJ said: “We’re not trying to offend or intrigue people. It’s more of a social experiment. We make fun of society on a daily basis, and people take it so seriously. They’re proving us right.” On another occasion, an interviewer for The Guardian asked Syd whether she thought her presence in the group allowed the other members to “get away with” some of their lyrics. She replied: “In a sense it does, [but] even if I wasn't here, they'd still be saying the same stuff.” In the same interview, Syd went on to describe her Odd Future bandmates as “some of the nicest people you will ever meet. We play, we joke, we have fun. None of us wanted to grow up. This is how we keep our innocence.”
Lyrics aside, there’s certainly one positive thing about Odd Future that is almost impossible to deny – and that is their ability as live performers. Anyone lucky enough to have caught any of the group’s recent shows will surely be able to testify that the Wolf Gang live experience is definitely not something to miss. When the collective played their mid-afternoon slot on the NME/Radio 1 Stage at this year’s Reading Festival in August, the tent was at near-capacity. Those present soon realised why this particular hip-hop act are often compared to punk rockers when it comes to playing live. Amid all the moshing and crowd-surfing was enough friendly, chaotic fun to entertain most rock music fans, whatever their opinion on hip-hop. Plus, absolutely no photographers were harmed in the process. Want to see what all the fuss is about? Well, you’re in luck…
Wed March 28th 2012 - O2 Academy Birmingham, Birmingham
Thu March 29th 2012 - O2 Academy Brixton, London
Sat March 31st 2012 - Manchester Academy, Manchester
Sun April 1st 2012 - O2 ABC, Glasgow
Mon April 2nd 2012 - Olympia, Dublin
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