De La Soul's place in hip-hop history was assured with 1989's Three Feet High and Rising, when the Long Island trio's colourful collage of samples and styles gave birth to a new, positive, sunnier hip-hop. Sadly, it was run out of town by gun-toting gangstas. But now that a glut of arrests and murders and the walking embarrassment of P Diddy have made gangstas seem less cool, De La Soul are enjoying something of an Indian summer.
Their recent music again brims with smiley sounds. Outside Manchester Academy, even the usually aggressive ticket touts seem cheerier than usual, although this may be because De La Soul's rare UK visit is making them a fortune.
The atmosphere is party, but it is a shame to hear De La Soul initially resorting to cliches. They talk of "making noise", and spend far too long working out what rhymes with "Manchestaah". Classic early hits such as The Magic Number are dispensed with all too quickly, the raps delivered over little more than a bassline. However, as DJ Mase builds up the sounds, the rappers relax, and the glorious Me, Myself and I and A Roller Skating Jam Named "Saturdays" kickstart a happy riot.
It is impossible not to warm to De La Soul's goofy personae and clever rhymes. Once they hit their stride, their banter is hilarious. Dave (who has thankfully abandoned the awkward stage name Trugoy the Dove) rages against macho chic, even attempting to lead the crowd in a chorus of "Fuck Mike Tyson". Quickly, Posdnuos stops it in its tracks: "Are you stoopid?!" he admonishes. Moments later, they manage to get the crowd to "clap if you feel good about yourself". It is the kind of thing you would associate with acoustic guitar-wielding Christians rather than a hip-hop trio, but it works.
Increasingly, they usurp expectations, dipping into samples that sound more Broadway than Brooklyn. During Baby Phat, which challenges the obsession with skinny women, they invite a succession of "laydeez" of all sizes on stage, and in an inversion of hip-hop's sometimes dubious attitude to women, band and audience pay tribute. Mase invites the entire crowd to the aftershow party and the trio close the show by signing autographs. After its troubled recent history, it is good to see hip-hop providing service with intelligence and a smile.
