Review: Run the Jewels, Dismaland

Whatever your take on Banksy’s dysfunctional theme park Dismaland – and there have certainly been no shortage of takes – it’s hard to argue with a rare chance to see some world-renowned musicians. Even if it is in a dilapidated lido in little old Weston-super-Mare. 

Acts appearing include Pussy Riot, local boys Massive Attack, Peanut Butter Wolf and – possibly most excitingly – red-hot US hip-hop duo Run the Jewels, aka Killer Mike and El-P.

Plus the little matter of Fiday night’s last-minute announcement: “supply DJ from Brighton” Fatboy Slim on warm-up duties.

His pre-set threat to join in the Disney subverting fun by, erm, featuring the Frozen soundtrack in his set was unfortunately realised: a mangled version of Let It Go being easily the low point of the evening.

But other than that his selections were solid, taking in thumping if uninspired house music reworks of everyone from the Rolling Stones to Michael Jackson and Marvin Gaye, mixed in with his own efforts: Eat Sleep Rave Repeat having a predictably rabble-rousing effect.

And the artist formerly known as Norman Cook deserves kudos for DJing not from the stage but from an unassuming perch on the bar – leading to some confused punters joining what looked like a boisterous queue for the bar but was actually a full-on dancefloor.

If it had been anyone else, playing big dumb records would be considered a warm-up DJ faux pas, but you got the impression Run The Jewels didn’t mind one bit. Not least because Killer Mike was too busy touring Dismaland enthusiastically photographing every single exhibit to care.

He and his partner in crime took the stage, marvellously, to the strains of We are the Champions, which immediately set the tone for a triumphant evening.

A classic two MCs and one DJ show, all breakneck rhymes over growling bass tones, they rattled through tracks from their two albums to date, including set standouts Run the Jewels, Oh My Darling Don’t Cry and Close Your Eyes (And Count To Fuck). 

It was the moments between songs that really brought the Run the Jewels rappers into their own, however – their commentary equal parts political, charismatic and hilarious.

Lie, Cheat, Steal was preceded by a diatribe against “the same cocksuckers who rule our different countries”, El-P presented everyone in attendance with their own “invisible 36-inch gold chain” and Killer Mike was quick to expertly defuse a crush in the raucous front row.

“Now is as good a time as any to announce that Run the Jewels actually is Banksy,” El-P confessed, adding after a beat: “I really hope no one has made that joke already.”

Their evident delight at simply being involved (“we’ve been waiting for this gig for six months”) was infectious, and it’s hard to imagine how this evening could have gone down any better short of an announcement that it was a fundraiser for the reopening of the Tropicana itself.

Which is the point of this whole Dismaland thing anyway, right?

Photos by James Morell