Tribute to Lee 'Scratch' Perry: Omar Perry star of an unforgettable evening @ VK

Goosebumps become rarer with the years. It takes something or someone truly special to hit you that deep. After 45 years of reggae concerts and festivals, the bar just keeps rising. Last year, Dezarie at Reggae Geel: goosebumps. The first time seeing Chronixx at Petrol. The last Akae Beka/Midnite show at VK. And Saturday night? It happened again. Multiple times, for multiple reasons, right from the first tune.

Joy White is one of those artists you never expect to see live. Some of her tracks have been in my record collection for ages, cherished as hidden gems. She worked with legends like Lee Perry, Joe Gibbs, and Studio One in the ’70s. Now living in Bremen, Germany, she has barely performed over the decades, and never before in Belgium.

Tribulation

Joy White opened with ‘Tribulation’, a classic roots tune draped over an equally classic riddim. Dennis Brown did a version, Jimmy Riley too. But White’s was the first I ever heard, and for that reason alone, it remains unsurpassed. Right away, it was clear: the band was top-tier. The four musicians of Easy Riddim Makers (bass, drums, guitar, keys) hail from Strasbourg, recorded an album with Lee Perry himself, and now one with Omar. At VK, they played an astonishing 36 tunes, nearly all classics from the golden era of Black Ark and roots reggae. They didn’t try to imitate the old sound; instead, Easy Riddim Makers have truly made these songs their own, playing them with both skill and joy.

”It dread out deh…” sang Joy White, and the magic lingered. ‘First Cut Is The Deepest’, her voice, nearly half a century later, still intact. But as the set progressed, she struggled to keep up. It was her first time on stage with this band, and the timing wasn’t always right. That meant we got even more excellent dub interludes while Joy White skanked and danced like a youthful spirit. As she left the stage, she wished us a great time with “Cedric Brooke”, a little slip that Omar Perry later corrected with a grin. But still, what a joy to witness this authentic singer, carrying the spirit of a bygone era.

People Funny Boy

Then Easy Riddim Makers dropped ‘Blackboard Jungle’, complete with special effects and footage of Scratch himself, chanting by the sea. His son Omar Perry made his entrance in full style, ermine-trimmed king’s cloak, military gala uniform, crown and sceptre; a true Perry, no doubt. He delivered a royal selection of Black Ark classics, an Upsetter hall of fame. Full setlist below. ‘Chase The Devil’ blended with ‘Disco Devil’. ‘People Funny Boy’, a brilliant take on Lee Perry’s groundbreaking 1969 tune. For the first time, perfectly timed samples of Scratch’s signature backing vocals filled the space. Live singers would have been even better, but this was a top-tier alternative.

Omar Perry sang as well as his father. We sometimes forget that Lee was an excellent vocalist too. I once sat in a car with him in Zurich when Sinéad O’Connor’s ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ came on the radio. Lee started singing along, and I swear, it brought tears to my eyes. So heartbreakingly beautiful. The best album with Scratch as a singer? ‘Roast Fish And Cornbread’, Lee thought so too. Omar delivered several tracks from it. The title track: goosebumps.

War In A Babylon

And then ‘War In A Babylon’, a song I’ve seen Max Romeo perform countless times. Like him, Omar let it flow into ‘Give Peace A Chance’. Then the band launched into ‘When Jah Jah Come’, another Black Ark classic I’ve held close for almost 50 years. Another peak moment of the night.

By then, Omar had swapped his regal cloak for a white jacket covered in Rasta symbols. As he does every year at VK’s Lee Perry tribute, he brought his children into the spotlight. The youngest, Isaiah, still needs to find his pitch, and ‘Police And Thieves’ is no easy task for any singer. But hey, even his American counterpart Kailash didn’t always sound perfect in the beginning.

Hurt So Good

Alexandra Perry, Omar’s eldest, made us forget Susan Cadogan for a moment, the original voice of ‘Hurt So Good’ under Lee Perry’s production. A tough song, but Alexandra owned it with flair and sensuality. She’s got a golden voice, a reflection of both her father and her (Belgian) mother.

And we still hadn’t reached the night’s main act, aside from Omar himself, who truly shone as the evening’s star. His own material was a highlight too, with five tracks from his new album ‘Channeling Lee Perry’, possibly his best work yet (and I’m not the only one who thinks so). No covers, no versions, just new compositions in the spirit of Scratch, with the same kind of vocals and lyrics. Again, Omar appeared in a new outfit, this time in camouflage. Once more, he showed another face, staring his father’s musical legacy straight in the eye and extracting a fresh, contemporary sound from it.

Congoman

And then, Cedric ‘Congo’ Myton stepped up. Always a pleasure and an honour to see him, in any lineup (Congos, Inna De Yard, Pura Vida…). What would a Lee Perry greatest hits set be without songs from the classic album ‘Heart Of The Congos’? The band had these tunes down perfectly, and Myton was his usual lively, free-spirited self. “Take a notebook and write this down,” he said: “Jah is the breath of life!” So noted. But I missed a second, third, even fourth harmony, like when The Congos worked with Pura Vida. Besides Scratch’s production, it’s the harmonies that made the group and its songs legendary. Puraman Bregt De Boever could have stepped in, but the lineup was already stacked. And once again, way too few people were there, about 150. Was everyone in Bruges for Dub Revolution?

But for those who were there, this was an unforgettable night. And for festivals still looking for a top act, or at least one just below that, Omar Perry & Easy Riddim Makers are the real deal. A full-fledged roots act for today, offering the audience a unique singalong concert packed with reggae classics. If I were an organizer, I’d know what to do.

Full set list:

Joy White

Tribulation
It Dread Out Deh
First Cut Is The Deepest
Lady Lay
Feeling Right
My Guy
The Rising sun
Come On Natty Dread
I’m In The Mood For Love
Sentimental Reasons

Omar Perry

Black Board Jungle
Disco Devil
People Funny Boy
Big Neck Police
Roast Fish And Cornbread
Throw Some Water In
Stay Red
Police And Thieves (Isaiah)
Beat Down Babylon
War In A Babylon
Soul Rebel
When Jah Come
Ethiopia
Hurt So Good (Alexandra)
Magnetic Light
Pied Piper
Time Boom
Wicked Back Deh
Key To Your Heart

Cedric Myton

Open Up The Gates
Children Crying
Solid Foundation
Ark Of The Covenant
Fisherman
Congoman

Together

Play On Mr. Music