on the UK garage circuit, whose performances are conducted with exceptional
professionalism. Many have diverse repertoires of rhymes, raps and lyrical dialogue,
which can often involve dramatic stage performances including throwing
microphones between MCs whilst maintaining an intense vocal tempo. Stylistically,
a distinct UK garage vocal delivery has developed and been popularized by the
mainstream success of MC crews such as the Masters of Ceremonies and So Solid.
Many UK garage consumers attend events specifically to see their favourite MCs, in
the same way that participants follow particular DJs within other scenes. Often UK
garage crowds can be observed repeating an MC’s lyrics word for word, in a way
that resembles a congregation following a preacher’s sermon.
Recently, the UK garage scene began experiencing difficulties generated by an
alleged association with gun crime. This came about after a shooting at London’s
Astoria nightclub, which took place during a So Solid concert at the end of 2001
(Smith and Nettleton 2001). The incident resulted in the cancellation of the
group’s subsequent tour dates and saw the emergence of an informal ban on UK
garage events taking place within London’s West End. Recently comments made by
the government’s Culture Minister Kim Howells concerning MCs’ lyrics supposedly
glamourizing gun crime were criticized as racist, failing to understand that the
discussion of gun culture merely reflected the society in which fans live (Gibbons
2003). Nevertheless, these remarks further compounded the issue and added to the
scene’s dispersal to Greater London and suburban venues. However, in other parts
of Britain numerous nightclubs and promoters have become reluctant to cater for
UK garage events. In response to these restrictions UK garage promoters have begun
to place more significance on their R ‘n’ B content to reduce any negative
associations. This issue has further enhanced the centrality of pirate radio to the
existence and maintenance of the scene. Now, more than ever, pirate radio is viewed
as the ‘spiritual home’ of UK garage, providing DJs, MCs and UK garage music
with essential exposure. Parallels can be drawn between the way the scene has become
reliant on an illegal network of radio stations to support its community and how
members of ‘undesirable’ religions have resorted to clandestine worship to uphold
their faith. One such example is the ‘mass rock’ services that took place in Ireland
during the 18th century when Catholicism, the majority religion at the time, was
outlawed by British rule. As a consequence, the faithful were forced to gather on
common land, usually on high ground in order to avoid detection and subsequent
prosecution. At these locations, a priest would place a hand-carved crucifix on top
of a rock and perform a service to support the religious needs of the persecuted
Catholic community. In a similar way, the clandestine operations of pirate radio
stations are supporting the UK garage community through this problematic period,
as their main places of ‘worship’, nightclubs in this instance, are restricted.
Locked in, locked onBritain’s relationship with unlicensed radio broadcasting, or ‘pirates’ as they are
more commonly known, dates back almost 40 years. Throughout this period, they
SOUNDS OF THE LONDON UNDERGROUND 191