Da Bizzle

POW remains one of the toughest homegrown street records of this decade. Bizzle's touring as we speak, I'm off to see him tonight at Islington Academy. This guy's been grinding HARD for all of 2007, so all power to him. Here's his UK tour dates, and a preview I did for all the Metros beyond London. This tour's also going to see the launch of the Myspace sofa, where people can win the opportunity to watch the gig from the comfort of a sofa on stage. The word 'gimmick' springs to mind.

GIG

Bizzle

Bizzle must be a contender for the hardest working man in music this year: the grime rapper’s barely had time to put his feet up following support slots on Jack Penate’s and Gallows’ tours, a summer on the festival circuit, and an autumn starring on the NME’s Rock & Riot tour with The Wombats and The Enemy.

Now he’s embarking on a 19-date headline tour, which is a measure of how successful this year has been for Bizzle: 18 months ago he was a grime rapper struggling to reach beyond a limited inner-city audience that shares its music, rather than parting with money for it.

Bizzle began grinding hard and broadening his appeal by reaching out to pop, indie and hardcore rock audiences, through collaborations with Kate Nash, Babyshambles, and Gallows.

Crucially second LP Back To Bizznizz, a rollicking romp through robbing cars, legging it from the police, and hustling, that also reflects on the realities ‘on road’, was well received. Combined with relentless touring and the impact of singles such as Babylon’s Burning Down The Ghetto’s revelatory grime punk, means that Bizzle has spent most of 2007 in our faces. Forget grindie, Gallows current firecracker single, Staring At Rudebois is further proof that grime and punk are a match made in musical heaven.

This tour sees Bizzle tipping his New Era cap to his urban roots with support slots from council estate-polemicist Skinnyman, grime MC Ghetto and R’n’B trio N Dubz. Once it’s over Bizzle will enjoy a well-earned rest before embarking on his ultimate challenge: uniting his original, and new, fanbase.

29th November - London - Islington Academy
30th November - Hertford - Marquee
1st December - Newcastle - The Cluny
2nd December - Glasgow - Arches
4th December - Nottingham - Stealth
6th December - Leicester - Liquid
7th December - Oxford - Carling Academy
8th December - Manchester - Roadhouse
9th December - Stoke - Sugarmill
12th December - Bedford - Esquires
13th December - Hitchin - Club 85
14th December - Hereford - Jailhouse
15th December - Tunbridge Wells - The Forum