Verdict: It's going to be a long, choice night
With just six tracks over 75 minutes, this live recording is classic Fat Freddy's Drop-a loping and laid-back trip that intensifies into brassy blasts, echoing skanks, and a pounding knees-up to end.
Recorded in December 2008 at London's Roundhouse venue, this show was the finale to a six-week jaunt around Europe and is their second live album following 2001's Live at the Matterhorn.
It was on this tour the band refined the songs that made up last year's Dr Boondigga and the Big BW- and only the staunch, squelchy soul of Flashback makes the cut from 2005 debut Based On A True Story (although there is a cheeky and fleeting nod to Ernie during The Raft).
Meanwhile, after you've taken a good hit of dry ice, nestle into the slow-motion chink and big brass of The Raft, which stretches out for more than 16 minutes, and on Pull The Catch (which is what Stevie Wonder might sound like if he played dubbed-out reggae) former TrinityRoots drummer Riki Gooch's break-neck live beats lock horns with producer Mu's alien manipulations, and singer Dallas Tamaira's tribute to reggae greats The Congos brings the song to a lovely sing-along end.
The only glitch is MC Slave's rap on The Nod, which is also on the album version, but live it comes across as brash and almost redundant.
It's Shiverman, the stand-out track off Boondigga, that's the highlight once again. Clocking in at 16 minutes, it gets the pulsing and lengthy treatment it deserves to bring the show to a throbbing and skanking end.
As Tamaira says: "Choice. Have a good night, eh. Chur."
