Stereo MC’s have announced that they will be returning to the Concorde 2 in Brighton on Saturday 11th March 2023. They last played a sold out show at the venue back on 7th December 2019. The Brighton & Hove News Music Team were in attendance – Read our review HERE.
Stereo MC’s formed in the mid 80’s and were inspired by electronic music and early hip hop. They pressed up their first 12” vinyl and started an independent record label called G Street Records which released many UK hip hop artists and signed US acts such as Jungle Brothers.
Shortly after they signed to Island/4th and Broadway records and released their first LP and toured extensively as a live act, garnering a reputation on multi tours and festivals.
Their third LP ‘Connected’ released in 1992 became a worldwide hit and reached No.2 in the UK Album Charts. No less than four hit singles are contained on the platter, those being the classic title track, plus ‘Step It Up’, ‘Ground Level’ and ‘Creation’. They won the BRIT Award for Best Album, plus they also won Best Group too. ‘Deep Down & Dirty’ from the follow up album of the same name (which came nine years later) was their fifth consecutive Top 20 hit single in a row. A trio of acclaimed albums followed: ‘Paradise’ (2005), ‘Double Bubble’ (2008) and ‘Emperor’s Nightingale’ (2011)
In 2015, tired of the major record label bubble, and a love of dance music they decided to go back to their roots and embark on a new label project and the label ‘Connected’ was born, at first as a vehicle for themselves to release music, and also to release other artists music, encompassing Afro House, Deep House and Techno and all variations of those genres. With distribution through Kompakt records in Cologne the label has grown extensively in the last few years.
Sadly, their drummer Owen If (born Ian Frederick Rossiter) died on 10th July 2022 at the age of 63.
When we last saw them at the tail end of 2019, the band’s personnel consisted of: Rob Birch (vocals), Nick Hallam aka ‘The Head’ (DJ mixing), Tansay Halil-Ibrahim (percussion), Cath Coffey (backing vocals) and Aina Roxx (backing vocals). We concluded our review of that gig by stating “Next time they announce a concert in these here parts, we will be at the head of the queue!”
Purchase your tickets for their Saturday 11th March 2023 Concorde 2 concert HERE.
Further information about Stereo MC’s can be found HERE.
