D-Block Europe rock as they blast Cork's Marquee

Heavy rainfall wasn’t enough to stop a sell-out crowd getting into Live At The Marquee to see D-Block Europe on Tuesday night, rushing down Centre Park Rd and through the well-managed queues to get into the shelter that is the huge canopy at the Marquee.

The rapping and frontman duties were all shouldered by Young Adz on the evening, but what might have been lacking in manpower was not lacking in energy and showmanship.

One regular gripe for live hip-hop shows is that the recorded songs don’t translate well to the stage, but this wasn’t the case on Tuesday night with their signature basslines, autotuned vocals, and general energy that exudes throughout their various hit singles blasting out of the PA system and filling the venue.

Very few people remained seated once the gig got going and instead they all gravitated towards the central dancing area.

The largely younger audience were ready for action from the opening piano chords of Darling, chanting along with the opening lines and rarely pausing for breath throughout the show.

There was no real need for a lighting rig at the show as there were constant waves of cameras recording clips from the show. Judging by the crowd’s age, I assume the footage is mostly appearing on TikTok and Snapchat after the gig rather than Facebook which typically is used by an older crowd.

As you’d expect with the younger social media age audience, there was very little talk in between songs — unlike the speeches made Live At The Marquee by artists recently such as The Mary Wallopers, Cian Ducrot, and Kingfishr giving context to songs they’d written or on wider political and social issues.

But of course it’s not fair to expect all artists to perform shows the same way.

Young Adz focused more on checking in if the audience was having a good time and were they ready for the next song, with each positive roar from the audience he and his DJ dropped banger after banger with tracks such as Ferrari Horses, Thug, Same Pu**y and of course their best known song, Prada.

The timing of the show meant there was no chance for an encore, which meant there was no opportunity for the audience to give a final applause to show their appreciation for such a lively performance.

For some in attendance it was their first every live concert but it certainly won’t be their last.