Review – Kurupt FM – The Bristol Gig Guide

Marble Factory, Friday 4th February 2022

I’ll start with a disclaimer: ‘People Just Do Nothing’ is by far one of my favourite shows of all time, so I’m biased. But, did I enjoy the show because of the music? No. This is where my worry stemmed from when I see ads for the crew performing live. I really didn’t know what to expect.

After setting the standards so high with a BAFTA winning show, and a well-received film in the can, it would be a big ask for the five-piece to deliver an equally entertaining live set. Especially when your audience is a Frankenstein blend of comedy fans, and garage fans. But boy oh boy, they delivered.
Kurupt FM’s set is intro’d by their on-screen manager Chabuddy G (portrayed by comedian Asim Chaudhry), which sets the tone perfectly for what’s to follow. He gets the crowd hyped via his natural comedy, and a classic KFM-style intro that rang notes of ‘Fire In The Booth’ in a way that didn’t seem clumsy. The crowd is loving it already.

With complete tranquillity and subtlety (note the sarcasm), Beats, Grindah and the rest of the crew burst onto stage, and honestly, I’m not sure I’ve been to a gig where the crowd have been so hyped and loud at SONG ONE.

I’m far from a connoisseur of garage music, but I can tell you this. What followed, was a high-energy, hyped-up party that felt like it could last the weekend and beyond, all whilst staying in character. With charming references to their on-screen storylines, the comedy fans were kept pleased, whilst the music fans raved the night away to a mix of Kurupt Originals, and blasts from garage-past.

The formula works so well that for the majority of the set I was wondering why no-one else is doing this. But then it hit me. There is no formula. The reason this works so well is because of a chemistry that exists between the crew. The years of working, writing, performing and creating together has made for a world that showcases their plethora of talents perfectly. Their time on our screens has helped shape a familiarity that seemed to keep smiles on the faces of every member of the audience for the whole set.

The comedy element didn’t feel forced, in fact it was hard to spot the line between what was improvised on the night, and what’s planned. There are moments throughout the set where the crew bicker, make seemingly un-thought-out performance decisions, and get confused about audio equipment (we can hear Beats & Grindah backstage as they prepare a dramatic enrtrance).

So, here we are. We have a group of comedians and garage fans that now have a TV show, a movie, albums, and a sell-out live tour. It begs the question, what the f*ck is next? Whatever it is, count me in.