Huey Morgan NYC Block Party – Review – Leeds Wardrobe
By Victoria Holdsworth, February 2018
Whilst the coolest man on the planet has been entertaining us now for many years with his band The Fun Lovin’ Criminals, Huey Morgan has firmly earned his place in musical echelons with his own soulful licks and funky blues sounds, all mixed in with a pinch of hip hop and New York swagger, but tonight is something different.
Whilst the supporting DJ closes up his flight case, Huey takes to the decks to rapturous applause and cheers, looking cool, slick and ready to get people dancing.
Anyone who has tuned into Huey’s radio show will be aware that the passion and enthusiasm for what he plays, and the back catalogue of records he can pull from is so vast and diverse, it will leave you spinning. Tonight is set to be a rollercoaster ride and a half!
“Sonic curve balls”
Feeding off the intensity of the crowd, Huey threw some sonic curve balls of genres you never knew would be dancing bed-fellows. An eclectic gathering of disco, soul, rock, and even some rap and Latino beats that everyone is on their feet to.
This is music that he loves and you can clearly see the enjoyment he takes in passing his influences on to others to enjoy.
From Odyssey’s ‘Native New Yorker’ to Grace Jones’s ‘Pull Up to the Bumper’, the classic tunes keep coming for the first few hours of his set. There are some excellent mash ups battling it out also tonight between the likes of Donna Summer and James Brown and then more recent flavours with The Jackson 5, right through to Cypress Hill.
But Huey senses that the crowd is wanting something a little bit more tonight, and he takes a moment to tell the crowd that he will get to some hip hop tunes but just to indulge him for a few more tracks, which they do not begrudge him one bit, but who would?
“Non-stop dancing”
After the disco dazzles fade out to the unmistakable beats of ‘Hip Hop’ by Dead Prez and some ‘Jump Around’ the crowd go absolutely mental. The Wardrobe is bustling with bodies just wanting to throw shapes to the man of the hour
He engaged with the crowd and totally went for it, no holds barred, for what could only be described as a delightful groove fest. Huey’s show was a DJ set akin to that of a top-quality nightclub rather than the casual mix of familiar classic soul tunes some may have thought they were going to get.
After a sweaty, loud night of non-stop dancing, it was time to head home with ringing ears and sore feet, but with also with smiling faces and swinging hips. Uniting people from all walks of life in an evening of grooving is no mean feat, but Huey Morgan managed it, bringing everyone from young students to regulars from Brighton Beach’s heyday together in a night dedicated to arguably some of the finest music ever created.
