Well, well, well. The last time I saw an artist that was such an integral part of the soundtrack to my childhood was probably at Lauryn Hill a few years ago, and similarly to that show, seeing someone in the flesh, playing these songs that you know so well, that take you back to so many different moments in your life - was very surreal.

Having six incredible albums to choose from, Erykah Badu definitely wasn't short of material and if I'm honest, she could've just played through Baduizm in its entirety and she wouldn't have heard people complain, but the more I think about the setlist, the more perfect it feels to me. She played me through some of my absolute favourites and delivered them with such ease. To be honest I think that was the most striking thing about her set - yes, the level of performance was outstanding, band and all - but my goodness did she make it look easy. As talented as the band was, they could've comfortably overshadowed an amateur, but everytime Badu's voice crooned above the music there was no questioning whose show it was. Stand outs for me have to be "Appletree", "Soldier", "Danger", "Love Of My Life", "Back In The Day", and "Out My Mind, Just In Time", and that's the narrowed down version.

At one point during her set Badu walked through her album roster speaking about the thoughts behind each one and whom they were most intended to reach. As she went through the list it was crystal clear that she'd succeeded in reaching all those intended as heads nodded in agreement and "90's babies" piped up. Being a 90's baby myself I thought to myself that it's insane to know that just after I was born, Erykah was making music for me to listen to then, and resonate with 20 something years later. I'm not sure how many names we have buzzing around in today's mainstream that will be able to have such an effect, but I expect that another 20 something years down the line, my children will be bopping along to Baduizm and I'll still be finding new meanings in Erykah's lyrics.

As for the set itself, yes, there were some things that left room for want - the timing was off, meaning that Erykah had to cut her last song "Soldier" short and couldn't come out for an encore due to the venue curfew, and the heat was very intense in the arena. However, despite leaving the crowd wanting more, and the exhausting level of heat; this didn't dampen fans' spirits, cheers and applause never faltered, and speaking for myself, it's not a night that'll be forgotten any time soon.

Overall Rating - 8/10

I hadn't seen De La Soul since Glastonbury three years ago and just as I was then, I was equally as, if not more excited for their headline set. I have to say, because I was going to the Birmingham show, I wasn't really expecting the biggest turn out - it's not often that I get to meet many "hip hop heads" in this area and as the show didn't sell out I was expecting a fairly sparse crowd... WRONG. Before long the floor was packed out with every kind of person you could imagine and I guess I should've known because it's not out of the ordinary for De La to draw in diverse crowds with their energy. Either way, it was a welcomed surprise.

First up on stage was UK trio Jungle Brown. I'd not heard any of their material prior but I was expecting something lyrically great if they were to warm us up for De La Soul and I'd definitely say that lyrically they were engaging and true to their style as musicians. However, I felt like on some songs, their beats overshadowed their performance, the beat was the reason for the movement and had it been an acapella performance, the level of attention would have dropped significantly. Despite the issues I had with their abilities on the night, they definitely showed potential (which may be more obvious on their studio material), their sax player was a very slick addition, and they definitely managed to heighten vibes and crack a few smiles before De La graced the stage.

As I mentioned, De La Soul know best how to draw in a crowd and put on a show. I was of course expecting them to play the classics like "Me, Myself and I" and "Feel Good Inc." but I was most interested in what they were going to play from this latest record. When I first listened to it I enjoyed it but I remember thinking that a lot of the songs that I expected to like the most after reading the track list, ended up taking a back seat to ones that hadn't necessarily caught my eye initially. Again my guesses were off on what would appear on the set list, but once again De La showed me why they've been so good for so long. As the night went on and energy was on what I thought was a pretty perfect level, De La graced us with a guest appearance. Dres from Black Sheep bounded on stage with that flow and ease that we knew so well and it was as if he was with them the entire show. Energy levels shot up again for that last portion of the show and by the end of the night my shoulder was aching from all the arm waving, my face was aching from all the smiling and singing, but it was well worth it. I feel like they would've benefited from a bigger production (budget permitting) but with or without, they filled the room, and brought their all, what more could you ask for really?

Overall Rating - 7.5/10 


Here are some pictures from the night... 

When I made the list of shows I had coming up this year, this one alongside the few summer festivals I have coming up (stay tuned) were at the very top. Little Simz continues to blow me away, musically and just in general as a human being. Boasting two independently released albums, a plethora of features/collaborations, and just twenty three years of age; she's now here to blow London of its feet with her own mini-festival. Mind boggling doesn't even cut it!

First up for me was Tiffany Gouché. I had a listen to her record Pillow Talk before going. Her sensual jazzy vibes definitely piqued my interest on that and watching her perform firmly cemented that interest. As it was one of the earlier performances, at first she came on stage to a noisy crowd, chatting amongst themselves but once she started singing, she quickly captured the room's attention. Despite minor technical difficulties, Tiffany managed to play a set that I'm sure stayed fresh in people's minds long after the evening was over.

Next up, Sipprell. Probably the newcomer that I was most excited to see. After checking out her EP Letter D and her single "Journey" I was 100% sold. If you don't know her yet, please don't hesitate to check out her stuff. Lovely, lovely voice. The only shame about this performance was that because of where the stage was placed, it was hard to get a good view if you weren't right at the front and it was also hard to hear everything as the surrounding sounds interfered. A real shame, but the parts of the set I did catch were impressive and I'm very sure I'll be seeing her around in the future.

Afterwards, up on the same stage, were Space Age. Anyone who knows about Little Simz and her crew, knows that their talents are most certainly not restricted to music. The collective also showcased own-brand clothing for sale on the night, and although the space in the Roundhouse wasn't the biggest to work with for a multi-stage mini-fest, they used the space well. Despite the issues I had with the staging, they really showed that the phrase "iron sharpens iron" is true. You can tell that as a collective (Simz included) they all came up together and although each creatively different, each shone the same light.

Back to the main stage to post up for Mick Jenkins. What a guy! By the time his set finished up I was really thinking "Man, if I didn't know any better I could've thought this was his headline show" - if only I realised what was to come. As expected he played jams from his latest record The Healing Component. I shouldn't have been surprised at how many people knew his songs and the lyrics but seeing him take over the room like that, made me have a much higher appreciation for not just his music but also for him as a performer. If you're not already familiar with his work I would definitely recommend checking him out. He's over on UK/EU shores quite a few times this summer so if you're heading to a summer festival, be sure to look out for his name.

Now - Little Simz. I was not ready!!! After watching her at Reading Fest last year performing with just a DJ, in front of about 50/60 people the juxtaposition of seeing her kitted out with a full band playing to thousands of people hanging onto her every word, every movement. It was a complete 180. Playing songs mostly from her latest release Stillness In Wonderland, Simbi was enjoying each song just as much as we were. Of course it wouldn't be a Simz show without an appearance from some friends - Space Age popped up on stage to drop some more bars, and during her hit "King Of Hearts" leading onto "Dead Body" we welcomed to the stage Chip, Ghetts, Stormzy and then Kano. The crowd was absolutely beside themselves! The word "reload" was being thrown around all over the place! This evening lit a fire under everybody in attendance. Particularly creatives - after speaking to a few people afterwards, many said that this show gave them an extra spurt of energy, inspiration and hope. Little Simz, smashed it and the maddest thing is, I don't even think that's half of what she has to bring to the table. All I can say is watch this space very, very closely.

Overall rating - 9/10


Here are some pictures from the night... 

I'd been excited for this show from the minute I booked the ticket. As soon as we got into the venue the vibes were heavy - so many beautiful people, so many great auras. It just felt like we were a huge collective... maybe it's because it was only my second show of the year, or maybe because it had been so long since I went to a show to watch a female lead, but something about the vibe at this show was different.

First up DJ-ing the night was LSDXOXO. I've never been the biggest fan of having DJs as support acts where the main act isn't also a DJ if I'm honest, but like I said, this night was different. The tracks he played slowly started grabbing my attention as people milled about finding their spots, then  I found myself bopping my head, and before long my friends and I were shacking out as he played banger after banger. It wasn't even the kind of set where you could guess the next few tracks just by listening to the bpm - every few songs he was hitting us with the unexpected. One minute we're getting down to Migos then the next we were throwing up arms and belting out Evanescence. Doors opened at 7; Princess Nokia didn't come on until around 9:30 and to be honest the crowd was entertained pretty much the entire time. 100% would love to catch a set again.

When Princess Nokia stepped on stage it seemed like everything just sped up. Before I knew it surprisingly she'd already charged through her biggest hits "Tomboy"and "Kitana" and my friends and I were left trying to recollect and to catch our breath. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't completely caught up but also a little sceptical about what she would now finish with. Silly me I guess - by the time the show was coming to an end she'd already won hearts and minds. Don't be fooled by her small silhouette; Ms Destiny boasts an overwhelming presence, on stage and off. This could've been a living room or an arena and her presence would have filled it all the same. As she made her way through tracks from her most recent release 1992, she managed to bring the crowd further into her world, speaking on her upbringing, heritage and even hair woes, and after talking to some people after the show it was obvious that energies were high all round. Everyone saw something that they could relate to at that show, whether it came from Nokia herself, or just from seeing themselves represented in the crowd at a rap show, everybody felt like they belonged to something even if only for those few hours. A true testament to the way Destiny prides herself on creating safe spaces for her audiences (women and women of colour in particular). I will most definitely be seeing her again in the future I'm sure and needless to say, I'm buzzing for whatever she drops next. It was a real celebration. 

Overall Rating - 8.5/10


Here are some pictures from the night...

After finding out about Declan last year on BBC's Sound of 2017 longlist I wanted to catch him as soon as possible before he blew up; so when I saw that he was playing in one of my favourite Birmingham small music venues (Hare & Hounds) it was an absolute no-brainer. It also didn't hurt to have this show start off my gigs of 2017.

Supporting on the night were Leeds-based band Clay. I'd not heard of them prior and I have to say I'm a little surprised and disappointed that I hadn't - I definitely need to do more research on new Indie bands/artists because bands like these should be all over my radar. Straight off the bat they had a sound that could easily fill up a much bigger space than they were playing and each of their personalities came through clearly on stage even before they each spoke. Great stage presence and good banter from the lead singer. In terms of music, they do Indie Pop pretty well and their live material translates way better than their studio. Most memorable track for me was "6AM", but all in all, they provided good vibes to kick off the night.

Following a great mix of tracks in the interval ranging from Madonna to ABBA to Dizzee Rascal; Declan and co stepped on stage full of confidence and quiet excitement and I couldn't help but feel like I was in a scene from the movie Sing Street (if you haven't seen it yet, do, it's an amazing watch). Now with my new knowledge of Declan McKenna, I only knew a few of his songs but my favourite beforehand was "Isombard" so in my head I was thinking "yeah, he'll probably finish with that". Before I could even finish thinking about the setlist, I was hearing the opening notes of "Isombard" drowned out by the crowd's cheers and being swept up by the leaping bodies. From that moment on, I knew I was in for a fun set. As the show went on the crowd only got more and more raucous and a clear divide was beginning to form in the room between the "young adults" and the "younger adults" but nonetheless as I teetered between the two I felt good energy across the room. By the end of the set, half of the crowd was jumping about on stage as party balloons floated around searching for flailing hands. Stand-out new listens for me were "Humungous" and "Paracetamol" - I can't remember the last time in the past couple years that I came across an indie artist Declan's age or to be honest of any age, with such ear-catching songwriting abilities. He's a true creative and I am absolutely buzzing for his debut album to drop this year.

Overall Rating - 7.5/10


Here are some pictures from the night... 

Okay! I'll start with apologies for the delay in posting - university coursework is extremely time-consuming. First post of 2017 and it's a post about the last gig I went to in 2016. Only fitting I guess, and what better way to end the year than watching my number five album of the year pick throw down in a most spectacular fashion?!

First up on stage was a rapper named Mouthe. I'd never heard of him before, and nobody else knew anything about him so did a little bit of research. I must admit I was pretty underwhelmed when I saw that he only had about 500 likes but I thought if anything could make somebody a fan it would be seeing a live show. I was wrong in this instance. When he came on stage, after about 30 seconds of performance I could sense the side-eyes in the room. I could barely hear the backing track over his optimus prime-sounding vocal effects. I couldn't even concentrate on his lyrics after his ridiculous song introductions. There were a few whispers between songs like "do you even know this guy?". To say that I was disappointed is an understatement. Although afterwards, my friend sent me one of his songs "Hallelujah" and it actually didn't sound too bad. Maybe he's just more of a studio artist.

But now for the main event - Quincy in the flesh. To be honest, even before he came on stage, the crowd was just bubbling with excitement. It seemed like they just knew the lyrics to every good hip hop song that played. At times the crowd was even rapping along as if somebody was actually performing. So when those lights dimmed and ScHoolboy stepped out, you can only imagine how the crowd galvanized. Within minutes I had already lost the people I came with and was fighting for breath, swaying through the weeds of people, mouthing a few lyrics whenever I got the chance to come up for air. It. Was. Manic... and I loved every second of it! The energy was incredible, and of course the set list didn't fail to impress. Q played hits from his last three albums and even jams from his label-mates Kendrick Lamar and Ab-Soul. The crowd was spoilt! I also feel that it's important for me to note that, ScHoolboy played in London the night before and just before playing "THat Part" to us, he declared that the Birmingham crowd was even crazier. Being the last show of the tour as well, whilst we screeched the lyrics to "THat Part", everybody knew that they'd witnessed something special. It had been the longest while since I'd left a gig that sweaty, breathless, yet energised, and I can only say - what a way to end an amazing year of music?!

Overall Rating - 8.5/10


DISCLAIMER: As the crowd was so mad, I only managed to get a few non-blurry, mediocre pictures...

Here we go, welcoming us into the top five is ScHoolboy Q with Blank Face LP. This album has been a blessing to my 2016. Some of my favourite songs of the year come from this record alone; it's just great to have one of the masters of Top Dawg Entertainment back for what I think is his best album yet.

I'd be surprised if you managed to go the whole year without hearing "THat Part (feat. Kanye West)" played somewhere - this song has been all over the place and for me, everytime felt like the first time. The amount that I listened to it, I should have been bored with it towards the end but I was just as hype every time. With a 17 song tracklist, I was definitely expecting the album to waver at some point during the middle, but ScHoolboy showed his lyrical strength the whole way through - I can only imagine how many songs didn't make the cut.  I was left smiling, head nodding and sometimes even laughing at the lyrics and brilliance of the beats throughout. Q truly put a lot of a work into curating and producing these tracks.

Some of my favourites from the album are "Groovy Tony/Eddie Kane", "WHateva U Want" and "JoHn Muir" but that changes with almost every listen. Each song has been a favourite at some point. After catching his set in Birmingham last week (gig review pending), it simply solidified his spot on the list. His personality comes through strongly on the album, not even close to being overshadowed by a crazy list of features. Quincy gave me one of my favourite rap albums of the year (there were many other amazing ones) and it stood out so much to me because he spoke about life as candidly as J. Cole but gave us some of the best beats in the business whilst keeping it fresh and thought-provoking. Also, the visuals to back the singles up were some of the most memorable I've seen all year.

ScHoolboy's given us a classic with this one, I'll definitely be referring back to this for years to come. A big future must be on the cards for Q after this gem.

Earlier this year I stumbled across Kite Base after reading that Savages' bassist Ayse Hassan was one of the two members in the band alongside Kendra Frost. That fact alone was more than enough to convince me, so I checked out their material on soundcloud. I was definitely impressed on first listen but for some reason didn't return to it for a little bit. It wasn't until I later introduced them to a friend that I listened again and remembered how good they were, and as if in answer to my thoughts and prayers, they announceed that they were playing a free show at Electrowerkz in London on a day that I was free... all for free. I got those tickets so fast, there was no way I was passing up this opportunity.

Unfortunately as I was travelling from the Midlands I only caught the tail-end of the support act, Vactrol Park but check them out on soundcloud. They're a synthy/electronic duo and from the last couple of songs that I caught, they sounded like I lot of the techno that I've heard in Germany - pretty lo-fi stuff.The main note that kept coming to mind was that their songs had some build, and just when you thought they were going to open it up, they dropped back down again. Now for me, that's not my cup of tea in particular but by all means, if you truly appreciate techno music give them a listen.

Now, now, now, Kite Base. Only one word to describe how I felt after this show - giddy. For them to have such a level of presence in this tiny, dreary room, was an achievement in itself. When they opened up with their latest single "Soothe" I'm pretty sure that I had a few butterflies. There's nothing more exciting than seeing music you like; music that you've jammed to alone, for the first time live. I felt like a proud mum singing along. The new songs that they played translated really well live too, which was encouraging given the quality of the sound. During "Miracle Waves", giant lit up balloons were released into the crowd, boosting the energy in the room and producing outbreaks of laughter. To be honest, I'm impressed the band kept their composure, because the picture of the crowd helplessly flailing and being battered relentlessly with bouncing balloons must have been even more hilarious from the stage. Closing with their first single and my personal favourite "Dadum" they finished with raucous cheers from the crowd and huge smiles. This felt more like a show for family and friends than anything - one of the most memorable shows I've been to in a while and it lasted about a millisecond.

I still don't understand how this show was free - I'm not complaining but I'm just astounded. My friends and I all said the same thing after we left. It was a privilege to catch them when we did because I expect the next time we see them we'll be lucky to even get a ticket.

Overall rating - 7.5/10


Here are some pictures from the night...