Body Count feat. Ice T

It’s thanks to a chance comment by a friend at Leeds I go to this gig. I’m so glad I did! It was the performance of the festival! Devastating, Powerful and the best f**kin’ musicians on the block!

American cop car sirens blare, through the packed crowd and then a thumpin’ slow bass kicks in. Slowly the excitement builds the lights strobe and wearing a white manikin mask Ice-T stands before us gloved hands aloft with the sign of rawk!

Suddenly the chop count on the bass escalates, and escalates and goes into overdrive! Then in crash the drums, tight, muscular and savage! From the mic we hear a yell, “Ice-T’s in the house!” And the crowd explode wildly. Heavy metal meets gangsta rap with ‘Masters of Revenge!’ and the crowd yelling “Body Count” at full volume.

Ice T is clearly impressed by how many of the crowd know every line of the raps. The music is a blur of guitar and chops and frenzied beats – the band sound terrific and it’s all the cameraman in Lock Up can do to keep up for the screen inside the tent beside me.

The guitarist is left handed and reminds me of Hendrix as they rip into ‘Bowels of The Devil’ after that Ice-T tells a sweaty crowd, that this may not be the main stage, but this is the hardcore stage! We cheer as he thanks us for supporting him for 22 years, hell half the crowd weren’t even born then!

Next up as Slayer are here this weekend, we’re treated to a punishing version of ‘War Zone’ and then another treat, ‘Body Count’ from way back in 1992! Blimey fourteen years ago! The crowd go mental! Ice-T calls us “Sweaty Xbox360 Mothafuckas!” before blitzin’ us with ‘KKK Bitch’ with the original words!

‘Drive By’ and ‘Voodoo’ are great singalong anthems, and we’re now dancin’ our bits off to this. Just when I thought it couldn’t get better the hardcore ‘There Goes The Neighbourhood’ crashes upon us, followed by a mental drum solo by new drummer OT. Wow!

‘Ricochet’ and ‘Evil Dick’ are followed by the new suggested National anthem of the Uk – ‘Cop Killer’ I feel sorry for anyone listening to Kaiser Chiefs right now – cos the noise from this tent must be drowning them out! Then it happens, Ice T does Public Enemy! Yeah, ‘Fuck Tha Police!’ Before Ice T walks up to us, leans over stares everyone of us in the face and spits, “Tonight Reading, we get even!” Awesome!

There’s a loud chant, “BC!” over and over until Ice-T comes back out and introduces Little Ice, his son who’s 14 and the new band members and then pay respects to all the band members who’ve gone. Before saying as five black guys on stage they have to pay homage to the first one, Jimmy H and break into a crackin’ version of ‘Hey Joe” What a night, it’s rained while we’ve been in her working up a sweat and coating the inside of the tent in condensation. It’s stopped by the time we step out tho, perfect! What a legend Ice-T is and what a band Body Count are, the performance of the night!

Latest Updates