Sweatshop Union Live Review

Posted by Katie Nelson in Gig Bytes
Since 2001 we’ve been listening to what was the most genuine, authentic Canadian hip-hop to be released, but does Sweatshop Union still have what it takes to deliver what we want? After their mediocre, run of the mill performance Thursday night I’m starting to wonder if the group is even worth being on the radar, and if so why did they bomb such a small venue?

For starters, the absence of Kyprios was more than just noticed, it was the ultimate buzzkill of the night and though the band tried to fill the vacant spaces with their crowd charisma, it was obvious something was missing.

The boys did a good job getting the floor filled and audience involved but how many times can you pull the “We’re Canadian” card to get it done? They promoted a lot from their last album, “Water Street”, released in 2008, but it would have been nice to hear some old school Sweatshop for the die-hard fans.

The political activism for which Sweatshop Union was formerly known from was AWOL, and the unique “non-mainstream” sound was pretty corrupted when Pigeon Hole started with “West Side” Instrumentals. It was an alright show, but at the end of the night I was more impressed with very talented, up and coming opener, “The Apresnos” than the actual performing band.

It’s starting to seem Sweatshop Union has abandoned their roots and started on a new track, probably the worst move in their musical career. In the end, it was an alright show but I’m sure I could have found something better to do with my Thursday night.

more in Music Review     |     posted Oct 26th, 2010 at 12:13pm     


All Content Copyright © SEE Magazine 2008 About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms of Use Contest Disclaimer