On the first Sunday of November, post-Halloween shenanigans, I take myself to O2 Academy Brixton, for the second time in the past few weeks, to experience a show I’ve dreamt of seeing for years. For his instantly sold-out dates at the beloved South London venue, Loyle Carner settles in for a 4-day run with his highest-charting album, hopefully ! .
My expectations were high without putting too much pressure on Carner, the man of many talents, who successfully disrupts the commercial status quo with provocative lyricism and inward-looking contemplations. hopefully ! Carner’s fourth studio album marks a new extension of his life wisdom, past reflections, and an exquisite take on melodious hip-hop, shaping British culture.
On opening night, he starts with ‘in my mind,’ and from the first microphone hold, Carner has everyone locked in, watching him moving with embodied musicality. Throughout the set, Carner presents the best from his discography of career-making projects, including songs from his debut, Yesterday’s Gone, ‘Ain’t Nothing Changed,’ and ‘Damselfly,’ hits like ‘Desoleil,‘ his favorite song ‘Still,’ ‘Loose Ends,’ dedicated to Jorja Smith and ‘Ice Water’ from his sophomore record, Not Waving, But Drowning.
Interweaving across each era, Loyle Carner masterfully curates the trek through his sonic evolution, in which he never lacked talent but instead pushed forward by owning his vulnerability and uncovering deeper layers of his identity. From his third album, hugo, Carner performs, ‘Nobody Knows (Ladds Road),’ ‘Speed Of Plight’, ‘Homerton,’ which he dedicated to his mom, recalling when he begged her to see Kanye West back in 2044 for his ‘College Dropout’ tour in the same venue, where today Loyle Carner has his own army of fans under the spell of his soft-spoken jazz-infused flow.
From the current star of the show, his latest album, hopefully !, Carner performs ‘all i need,’ ‘horcrux,’ ‘lying,’ ‘purpose,’ and ‘about time.’ Approaching the end of the setlist, rightfully so, Carner says goodbye with the moving sing-along to ‘Ottolenghi.’ As he exits the stage, people begin to leave their seats, but to our surprise, Loyle Carner returns to deliver his original poem, which made for a superb cherry on top.
Loyle Carner shows off his quest to question life, dissecting what matters and how to move forward, but to do so withhumanity and gratitude. It is his creative agency and genuine emotion that pivot his show beyond your usual live music experience.
Sitting next to a boy, not even in his early teens, you can feel first-hand the power of Loyle Carner’s accountability and energy with which he chooses to lead his life. In his eyes, admiration for his role model, I feel conviction and determination to be a man like the one standing in front of us—a sold-out crowd—a man like Loyle Carner. Along with his brilliant band, they put on a serene evening, leaving me with a sense of hope and a desire to keep going, with the last line of his poem, “there is a light at the end of the tunnel, I’m told, so bright you have to fucking cover your eyes, don’t hide, because everything you love is outside.”
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Words: Karolina Kramplova