Why is everyone so excited about Prince's London shows? For and against

Photo: Press

Unless you live in a cave or are still attempting to get to work through the tube strikes, then you might have heard that Prince is in town. He kicked off his Hit And Run string of London gigs at Camden's Electric Ballroom to a select few lucky guests during an 'open soundcheck' press gig. 

He's promised to return to the venue tonight, and says he'll be playing more iconic London venues throughout the month. Purple Fever has gripped the capital, with disciples of His Royal Badness frothing at the mouth to get a chance to see the pint-sized pop superstar. 

But why should anyone care? Does Prince still matter or is he unworthy of dominating every sphere of social media and music news for the weeks ahead? Well, not everyone sees what all the fuss about. 

Come with us as we play Devil's Advocate and purple protector and present the FOR and AGAINST of Prince's Hit And Run tour. 

AGAINST - Who cares? Prince is irrelvant now

"Everyone seems to have lost their minds over this Prince arriving in London at the moment. It kind of reminds me of the London riots when everyone freaked out and mass hysteria meant people began to post imaginary rubbish about hooded youths on the Kings Road. Only replace Chelsea with Croydon and the hoodies with Prince supposedly passing in a purple suit on a tram. What have you been smoking?

My problem with it is this, has Prince really been relevant for the last 20 years? No not really, he is more an aspect of the bygone era of the eccentric pop enigma that died with Michael Jackson. However, he survived and has gone on to produce music that, outside of a slew of 80s and 90s classics, has failed to leave its mark, even with many of those who claim to be 'fans'.  How many of you even own 20Ten or have bothered to listen to 'Breakfast Can Wait?'

It seems more like the public as a whole have been sparked into feelings of nostalgia (or pushed into them) by a particularly clever marketing campaign that paints him as a loveable eccentric kook. Don't me wrong here, I'm sure he is and that's great -  it'd just be nice if everyone could perhaps take a breather or at least stop going on about how they would sell parts of themselves to get into these intimate shows.

The sad fact is that while I admire the Purple One's desire to play these special gigs for his fans, the real reality is that a very small percentage of those fans will even be able to get in. His first show so far only had scope to encompass the music elite, A&R's, journalists and Mumford and Sons.

If you're a real fan I doubt you'll have any chance at seeing him so why bother getting your hopes up." Edward Keeble

Watch Prince & 3RDEYEGIRL playing 'I Like It Here' at the Electric Ballroom below

FOR - Long may Prince forever reign

"Shut up, bow down - His Royal Badness is back in town. With David Bowie refusing to tour, Prince is one of the few geniune Legends with a capital L that you can still see in the flesh. Sure, he may not quite demand the same level of hype or worship as Bowie did when he returned with The Next Day last year - but that's because Prince hasn't gone anywhere. He has never stopped rocking. 

You say Prince isn't relevant? Who bloody cares - he's PRINCE. No, he doesn't get as much radio play as he once did and it's rare to catch a glimpse of him on TV - but that's because he lives in his own world. Other than that time he attempted hip-hop, Prince has always refused to bend towards trends (and saying that, 'My Name Is Prince' and 'Sexy MF' are solid gold TUNES). His latest stuff isn't dub-step or overpolished robotic pop. It's just an icon turning his  attention back on what he does best - sweet and sexy rock and roll. He's the missing link between James Brown and Beyonce. You don't need to relevant when you're always timeless. A good song is a good song, and if there's one thing that Prince embodies it's REAL MUSIC. 

And, have you ever seen Prince live? It's the most fun you can have legally, without taking your clothes off (but you probably will). Elastic dance moves, exquisite banter, hours of material, extended jam sessions and an encyclopaedic run through of stone-cold pop-funk classics by himself and anyone who was ever worth anything - the man is just a walking celebration of everything that has ever made you move. 

Is he a kook? Maybe, but we should embrace that. He's a character with the catalogue to back it up. I'd rather have a pyjama-wearing, pancake-cooking mentalist howling 'Nothing Compares 2 U' at me than the apparent Sound of 2014 Sam Smith seeping his Radio 2 soul bilge at me any day of the week. 

In a world where pop has become beige, we should welcome a dash of purple. Long Live Prince." Andrew Trendell

Below: 9 things to expect from Prince's London shows