WHEN Beethoven praised music as “a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy”, it’s probably fair to say he didn’t have Papa Shango in mind.
The gleefully juvenile funk-rockers, who returned to Stortford on Friday night (November 11) for the time since May’s festival, headlined the town’s last ever Rhodes Rocks! with a bigger bang than 20 barrels of dynamite.
While their songs were as catchy and sleazy as ever, the real thrill came from their outlandish stage presence – which was packed full of stunts, surprises and even a little audience participation.
As well as their traditional routines, including a spellbinding fire-breathing performance by backing dancer Nic, there was a fiendishly tricky Countdown-inspired interlude which challenged the crowd to find a word among the letters ISTT.
With bubble machines, hobby horses, water pistols, a full-sized clothes line adorned with knickers and the infamous Love Sponge also getting a look-in, it was a hysterical evening and a fitting send-off for one of Stortford’s longest-running live events.
Check out more tracks at www.facebook.com/papashangomusic.
