British Reggae legends Steel Pulse descended upon the Fox Theatre this past Wednesday night to help launch their latest album, African Holocaust.  Greeted by a packed house, David Hinds, Selywn and company wasted no time in electrifying the crowd with their unique brand of reggae from across the Atlantic.

Steel Pulse shows great solidarity as a group every time they start a show.  With no fanfare, no emcee, they come onto the stage as a group together.  From the drummer, Conrad, all the way to David Hinds and Selwyn, the two original Steel Pulse members, Steel Pulse comes out quietly yet starts explosively.

The stage, decorated boldly with red gold and green flags, had a nice presentation and gave good exposure to all members of the band, along with nice uniform structure for the many keyboards and instruments across the stage.  As one walked in, the instant thought was to prepare yourself for a great show

David Hinds, the front man for Steel Pulse, came out with his trademark locks and sunglasses, providing the indelible image that Steel Pulse has come to be known.  Asked later on, David commented that he had been growing his locks for 26 years.

After a quick medley warm up to their two hour set, the group wasted no time in diving into one of their more recognizable songs, Rally Round the Flag.  A catchy rhythm with powerful message underneath, Rally Round the Flag and David Hinds’ showmanship gave no recourse to the idea of what kind of show this would be.

As noted, this was also a tour to help promote their new album, African Holocaust, and as expected they quickly performed some of the new songs off the album.  What was not expected, however, was how quickly the crowd responded to the music off an album not yet 3 weeks released. 

No More Weapons, with its driving bass rhythm and catchy chorus, was easily integrated into their set as if it had been there 20 years earlier.  Easily the biggest surprise of the night, No More Weapons won over the crowd with its message against the current world atmosphere of fear and warmongering. No More Weapons was an impressive display of the power of Steel Pulse and gave a great opportunity to see the contrasting yet complimenting styles of Selwyn and David Hinds.

Selwyn provided the methodic dancehall style chants which balanced the unique vocal presentation by David Hinds.  Selwyn, while less present in the set, makes more use of his time by entertaining the crowd with playful motions eliciting crowd response.  David Hinds, who leads the Steel Pulse charge, provides top notch vocals with a stage presence to match. Years of experience together has manifested into a stage show which captivates the imagination and pleases the senses on all levels.

Mixing up the new album with their well documented success of the past, Steel Pulse gave a fabulous and professional performance worthy of the greatness of Steel Pulse.    Tight Rope, Steppin’ Out, and Bodyguard always rouses the crowd into a frenzy, and the new music, including Make Us a Nation, Door of No Return and Global Warming, fit seamlessly into their repertoire.

Overall, Steel Pulse gave a performance as professional as one gets, providing the entertainment and solid music that any reggae fan would demand.  With an intermission of instrumentals giving an illusion of no break at all, classical reggae tunes mixed with great music and instrumentals, supported by their own production staff, Steel Pulse gave a polished performance rarely seen.

Reviewed by Larry Leiber, Reggae Movement