Photos + Review | Shakka @ Militant Entertainment Launch ft Xyzelle, Jo Jordan, J.A.E, Drey Cheeks, & Amahla

January 21, 2020 Leave a comment

R’n’B singer Shakka’s concert turned out to be an intimate launch night for Militant Entertainment, a new platform for London creatives, featuring some of the UK’s most exciting upcoming R’n’B singers. Shakka didn’t take to the stage until 12.30am! I had arrived at 8pm. I was treated to some truly outstanding performances from Xyzelle, Jo Jordan, Drey Cheekz, Amahla and J.A.E. I had never heard any of their music and am now a fan of five new amazing artists. Xyzelle, 18, opened the stage with some mellow songs backed by subtle trap beats. Jo Jordan brought out an incredible guitarist (with an incredible afro) to perform some passionate love songs. Drey Cheekz came with a strong voice and good humour to sing some of her own material as well as a couple of covers. Amahla swept the crowd into a frenzy, with some people entranced by her soulful jazzy set. J.A.E sang and performed honest spoken word pieces to the sounds of her backing band’s saxophone, drums and guitar. I was pleasantly surprised by all the pre-Shakka performers. Amahla was a particular standout for me. By the time Shakka came on, the room had swelled to full capacity and he gave and received great energy. He was sweating heavily ten minutes in and I was struggling to take any focused pictures of him, he was moving around so much, whipping up the crowds. He performed favourites like ‘Say Nada’ and ‘Man Down’ and left the stage all too quickly, with the crowd shouting for him to return. He never did but it was an excellent night overall.

Amahla

Drey Cheeks

j.a.e

Jo Jordan

Shakka

Xyzelle

Photos & Review courtesy of India-Mae Alby| Instagram | Twitter

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Yizzy Presents at Pop Brixton

December 31, 2019 Leave a comment

Yizzy Presents at Pop Brixton, South London, was a chance for many currently lesser-known rappers to have some time in the spotlight. Yizzy himself did not come out until after 10pm, giving over two hours of stage time to a medley of different London rappers, including British-Latino rappers like Guala, whose music, in English and Spanish, I’ve never heard before. South American Brits in the audience particularly enjoyed hearing Spanish rap. 

Ecuadorian, Colombian and Black British rappers performed solo and with friends, setting a good mood for the audience. I personally enjoyed the camaraderie and support that rappers showed each other. British rap is so diverse, in ways that I previously didn’t know about, so I walked away from the show having learned something. Other performers included L1, RingRoze, Helms (an acquaintance from an old job whose appearance on stage shocked and delighted me) and Koder, who looks a lot like Andre 3000. Koder was received extremely well. He was extremely energetic, bouncing around constantly (making it very difficult for me to photograph him!) and interacting with the audience a lot. His song, ‘Richer’, is particularly good and was performed alongside his backing vocalist. His friends in the audience kept shouting out “UNDENIABLE!” which became an infectious chant. 

When Yizzy eventually came out, everyone was already on a high, so his set was full of energy. His latest song, ‘Back It’, features Dizzee Rascal and has a distinctive sound that is very different from most UK rap songs. The beat features heavy guitar and dubstep sounds that honestly haven’t been heard in popular UK music for about ten years. Yizzy can rap FAST and kept up the pace throughout his whole performance. He recreated his Fire in the Booth freestyle, which floored me. Just stellar performances all round creating a perceptible sense of excitement about the UK rap scene. Grime, drill, rap and hip hop are all different but at Yizzy Presents we got a little taste of all of these genres from a wide range of rappers. Made me feel proud to be British!

Photos & Review courtesy of India-Mae Alby| Instagram | Twitter

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Emika ft Fifi Rong & Geiste live at The 100 Club

December 21, 2019 Leave a comment

Emika’s show at The 100 Club by Tottenham Court Road was a cosy affair with a friendly, welcoming vibe. The club had chairs for audience members sitting by the side of the stage and everyone was very relaxed. The first support act, Geiste, reminded me of a younger Ellie Goulding in her style and the way that she jumped around onstage. She looked like a fairy onstage and made a lot of effort to talk to the audience and get everyone involved. She was essentially one-man band, singing while simultaneously controlling her complicated-looking equipment, including a loop pedal, creating a synthy electronic sound. At the end of her performance she excitedly jumped into the crowd to hug her friends who had come to support her.

 

The second support act was Fifi Rong, a Chinese-British alternative singer with amazing fashion sense and a beautiful face. Her strong, haunting vocals were combined with expressive dance moves that matched the vibe created by the lights and electronic backing music. She sang in both Chinese and English (I understand a bit of Chinese and realised that in one of her songs she was repeating the names of the colours over and over again – it sounded great!). She totally captivated the entire audience and I would happily watch her perform again.

Finally, Emika came onstage to play her keyboard and give us more electronic synthy vibes but this time with a bit more bass and finesse. She opened with an incredible cover of Wicked Games by Chris Isaak, an already atmospheric song made even more impactful with her use of instruments and breathy, wispy voice. Strobe lights flickered throughout most of Emika’s performance, making for a trippy experience. She would sometimes quickly wave her hand between her mouth and the microphone while singing, creating the same kind of sound that you experience when listening to music through headphones and the sound flits from left to right. She was awesome. Very masterful over her craft. And the audience loved it all.

Overall, a very strong performance from three talented women making strides in electronic, alternative music. I’m glad I got to experience it all in a small venue for maximum impact.

Photos & Review courtesy of India-Mae Alby | Instagram | Twitter

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