Omar Perry ADD
Omar Perry - A Tribute To Lee Scratch Perry in London @ Jazz Cafe 2025
03/13/2025 by Gerry McMahon
Omar Perry and his French-based Easy Riddim Maker (ERM) backing band recently played London town’s legendary Jazz Café.
BIGGEST SURPRISE? Perry announcing that it was his first ever performance in the United Kingdom!
BIGGEST HIGH POINT? Perry’s arrival on stage, wearing a regal gown and a king’s crown, singing Disco Devil and delivering a tip-top accomplished performance thereafter.
BIGGEST LOW POINT? Perry leaving the stage, to bring an end to what was a superb show.
Omar Perry is the second son of the immortal music man Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry. On Saturday, March 8th last, Omar took to the stage to headline a tribute or memorial set to his late father, with Scratch’s latter day European backing band ERM providing all the necessary support.
It is reported that when Peter Tosh was told about Bob Marley’s passing, his response included a somewhat selfish streak, as he replied that Marley’s death would open up some space for others. Omar Perry has never uttered a comparable comment in respect of his late father’s passing. But he could have, given his father’s pervasiveness in the reggae arena – into which Omar himself has committed his life.
Time moves on and now Omar finds himself inheriting a sizeable musical legacy to add to his own considerable repertoire. This repertoire was recently extended via the release of an impressive new album - entitled Omar Perry Channelling Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry – as he sets off on a selection of tour dates that should end later this summer with a splattering of festival stops across Europe and perhaps further beyond.
Omar’s London town Jazz Café show was a roaring success. Proceedings started slowly, as the renowned author, host and deejay David Katz spun some ‘old, new, borrowed and blue’ discs for the swelling crowd, whilst the atmosphere grew steadily in eager anticipation of a show that many deemed well-worth seeing. The stylish venue’s layout enabled all to have a first-class view of the stage, as the drinkers drank and danced downstairs, whilst the diners dined and drank upstairs, all enjoying the intimacy offered by this longstanding music site.
The show itself was cleverly divided into three blocks. It started with some older ‘Scratch’ classics, before moving on to a selection of his hardcore Black Ark rootsy sounds, allowing Omar to show his own musical mettle in the final block, via some carefully chosen tasteful tracks from the new album. And all the while, the musical entertainment was enhanced on a screen above the stage, via intermittent video clips from Howard Johnson’s ‘Deep Roots’ 6-part documentary series on roots reggae, that was first shown on British television’s Channel 4 in 1983.
Having dispatched the Disco Devil on his entrée, Omar then swung into the retaliatory People Funny Boy, before introducing the Dreadlocks In Moonlight track that lit up the memorable Jamaican movie Countryman back in 1982. Omar’s rendition of these three classics served as a timely reminder that this Perry has his own unique skill-set, whilst his vocal range and tone surpasses that of his wizard father.
Once he ascertained that his audience ‘love reggae music’ - amidst much hand-shaking with front row audience members – we were then treated to some Roast Fish and Cornbread, ably aided by electrifying guitar and percussive effects. After some more audience interaction, Omar retreated to an impressive back catalogue, giving us some ‘peace and love’, before calling out to his late father Gwan Mr. Perry with enthusiastic audience assistance.
Pacing the stage throughout, Omar then moved to the second block of the show with Police and Thieves. This needed no introduction to a London audience that was raised on the Clash’s version of this classic song. He then let rip on Whip Them Jah Jah, as popularised by Dennis Brown in the 1980 Heartland Reggae movie. So well received was this input that when London’s favourite ‘bad boy’ Brother Culture was invited on stage he chose to belt out another rendition of this same everlasting tune. Embellishing proceedings with some rapid-style delivery, Brother Culture then decided that he wasn’t done yet, as he encouraged his audience to jump whilst he rapped on, shortly before the timeless War Inna Babylon track raised the tempo to fever pitch. This latter input then swiftly segued into John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s Give Peace A Chance anthem, which – as you’d expect from a Rastafarian practitioner - Omar devoted to universal peace and an end to all wars.
After the audience was directed to light up the venue with their flames, Omar urged all to ‘live in peace, love and unity’, before issuing the timely reminder cum warning that ‘we have only one life, so live it the best way you can’. This was an appropriate preface to Soul Rebel, a song that recalls the Wailers’ second studio album that was produced by Lee 'Scratch' Perry, after which his son issued the Rastafarian’s righteous warning about the doomed plight of the ungodly ‘when Jah Jah come’!
Acknowledging that it was a pleasure to be in the Jazz Café amongst so many good people, Omar then gracefully glided into the widely covered (Born In) Ethiopia song. On cue, his assertive first-born Alex took the lead vocals here, in a manner that assured all that the Marleys aren’t the only musical dynasty reigning on the strength of reggae’s roots that were planted over 70 years ago by the likes of her grandfather. Indeed, so well received was this input, that the same Alex then got stuck into Hurt So Good, as popularised in reggae circles by Susan Cadogan, under the guiding hand of Lee 'Scratch' Perry in 1975.
The show’s third and final block kicked off with Magnetic Lights, taken from Omar’s new album with ERM. This track has a righteous theme, that’s issued via a rap style, hot steppin’, quick-fire pace delivery, with Omar warning that he’s ‘coming for you’. Like Omar’s stage antics, this original was well received by the audience. The same source album then served up the delightfully bouncy Pied Piper, as Omar’s forceful delivery attempted to ‘defend Mother Nature .. before it’s too late’, as he rowed in on the hot topic that is the damaging human contribution to climate change.
Next up came the heavenly haunting Time Boom tribute-type track (also from the new album), that recalls Omar’s Black Ark childhood ‘olden days when we used to rock the place’. This song takes the audience on a pleasant jog, harking back to the late elder’s weird, wonderful and widely acclaimed album Time Boom X De Devil Dead. On this input Omar reflects on mortality matters, as he urges the listener to ‘live while you can’. An especially appealing aspect of this track is that it is apparent that the ‘apple doesn’t fall far from the tree’, as – when he chooses - Omar’s vocal inputs could easily be mistaken for those of his genius papa Lee. Bringing the block and the show to a close, Omar reminds all that ‘the people have the power’ as the righteousness of a Rastafarian comes through loud and clear in Wicked Back Deh (also taken from the new album), which is wonderfully well embellished by Gangloff’s percussive accompaniment.
Having introduced a selection of family members and acknowledged the importance of ‘International Women’s Day’, Omar shut up shop soon thereafter. Truth be told, he can be very happy about a job well done. Of course, much of the credit for the high-quality performance must also go to ERM’s leader Olivier Gangloff. Alongside the band’s super-talented guitarist and long-time member Sébastien Kohler, with Greg keeping the bass booming, Michel supplying extensive flourishes via the keyboards and the sound engineer Julian mixing the powerful pot pourri, it all made for a telling tribute to the great party man himself, Lee 'Scratch' Perry.
It should also be noted that Omar’s genteel and generous disposition flowed easily from the moment of his early arrival at the venue. Many hours before showtime he could be seen with his patient partner Mareka, straining to accommodate the wishes and whims of family and friends. Indeed, one could be forgiven for wondering how and where Omar acquired this facilitating skillset, given his role model father’s frequent absences and alarming unpredictability when around!
But be assured that as he surveys the scene from Heaven, Daddy will be well pleased with his son Omar’s development, this ‘channelling’ tribute gig and the accompanying album and select tour dates. So also, was the large crowd in London’s Jazz Café – with ~400 attendees in the venue’s 450 capacity - as they were treated to a decent dollop of Omar and his father’s musical legacy. Long may they and their legacy live!
