LOYLE CARNER // O2 VICTORIA WAREHOUSE, MANCHESTER
Loyle Carner is an exceedingly special talent paving the way in HipHop and is destined to be named as one of the greats
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐(5/5)
LOYLE CARNER AT O2 VICTORIA WAREHOUSE, MANCHESTER
PHOTOCREDIT: HARRY BRAZIER
Manchester’s O2 Victoria Warehouse was graced by the presence of Loyle Carner for his first of three sold out shows at the venue, performing an incredible setlist with a mix of classics as well as new material from his fourth studio album hopefully!
Before this however, the Irish rapper Rejjie Snow took the stage, with three studio albums under his belt, Rejjie was a familiar face to the crowd with them singing back parts of his songs too him, with an energetic stage presence he was the perfect artist to open for loyle with a similar but unique sound. The experienced performer brought all the energy the O2 Victoria warehouse needed to kick off such a fantastic night.
Benjamin Gerard Coyle-Larner, known professionally as Loyle Carner walked out at bang on nine to a roar like I’d never heard before, even my earplugs didn’t help to dim the noise, the crowd were beyond ecstatic. This show was right in the middle of Loyles EU/UK tour, so he was more ready than ever. After a brief guitar intro from Raquel Martins (an exciting new up and coming musician blending alternative soul with a latin-infused sound) Loyle erupted into ‘ All I need’ his first single from the new album.
Strobe lighting seemed to come from all angles; strong red and orange colours were prominent throughout his performance which would be reflecting the passion and anger that he’s trying to express through his music and lyrics. It illuminated not only Ben but each musician on the stage giving them their own spotlight to showcase their incredible talents. Halfway through the show Ben briefly went off stage to hug someone but he didn’t announce who, I found this an extremely personal part of the show as it shows how he is just another human like us, with his own feelings and interests, it also links to how personal his music is. Rapping about his own experiences in life, not afraid to shy away from difficult subject and relationships with people such as is dad. This is most apparent in the lyrics to the song Nobody knows. “ Ayo, you can’t hate the roots of the tree, and not hate the tree, so how can I hate my father, without hating me?”
I’ve been listening to Ben since he released his first album, and I’ve grew up with his music throughout my teenage years so finally seeing him live after so many years was a trip down memory lane. Throughout this period, he’s been nominated for three Brit Awards and made a name for himself in the Hip Hop world and has collaborated with artists such as Jorja Smith, poet John Agardand Olivia Dean.
Ben performed the set with nothing but thriving passion and love, as one of his last songs he played ‘about time’ my personal favourite song. Before he performed this, he spoke about how he had recorded it with his son sat on his shoulders and how he had written it for him. At the end of the song there is a spoken word outro as you can hear Ben’s son in the background talking to his dad, adding an even deeper connection to the song.
During the encore ben came out to perform one last song ‘ a lasting place’ but before this he performed a poem which he does at every show he plays. Poetry is something very deep to him as he has released a poetry book “Not Waving, But Drowning”, also the name of this second album. During the poem he reflects similarly in his music, to his family, emotions and life experiences. He also talks about immigration and his dislike of the far right.
Loyle Carner is an exceedingly special talent paving the way in HipHop and is destined to be named as one of the greats
REVIEW + PHOTOS BY: HARRY BRAZIER
