'Do you eat reggae?', or thoughts on Culture present

Just back from a great evening of roots reggae at the VK club. Culture, of 'Two Sevens Clash' fame, was in town (and what timing: "It's only a housing scheme that divides," they sang back in '77. Tell it to the kids of Clichy-sous-Bois!)
Frontman Joseph Hill's rich voice is still in great shape. He also has a pithy way with words, introducing one track by saying, "Reggae is rebel music, but make no mistake, reggae is a rebel with a cause."
And in Culture's hands indeed it is. But it's still party music too and the crowd didn't stop moving for the two hours the band was on stage. As Telford Nelson, Albert Walker and the rest of the musicians prepared to strike up the classic 'I'm not ashamed,' Hill explained that in Jamaica, treating houseguests well is very important. "And I'm not feeding you like swine. Do you eat reggae?... Come and dine on reggae music." So we did, even asking for a second helping, which Culture duly served up with aplomb.
The Chartist William Cobbett once wrote, "I defy you to agitate any fellow with a full stomach." Culture is that rare band, one able to satisfy physical hungers (for rhythm, timbre, melody) without losing its convictions or the power of its message: Long may they continue.