Live Report: Skepta – Granada Studios, Manchester

Capping a triumphant UK tour...

Although I’m not a big sports fan, I can get a sense of how it feels for die-hard fans as cheering on their teams to the top of the league from watching Skepta these past couple of years.

While our homegrown talent has never required validation from outside of our tiny island, it’s admittedly a great feeling watching one of our own breaking through on an international scale, introducing new ears all over the world to the icy, futuristic, adrenaline rush of a style that we’ve been in love with for well over a decade. With his Konnichiwa LP Skepta is navigating waters unchartered by Grime MCs or UK rap artists in general, and whether for himself or for a wider scene, he’s making huge breakthroughs and giving people something to believe in.

Though it’s often considered cooler to be a chin-stroking, fence-sitter than really putting yourself out there as a fan, certain acts have truly managed to make fans lose their shit and literally wear their fandom on their chest over the past five years or so, from the brightly coloured Golf Wang-ed out crowds at an OFWGTA show to the more ghetto gothic chic on display from crowds at early A$AP shows. And the walk to the back of a street-long queue around the back of Manchester’s Granada Studios for the closing date of Skepta’s Konnichiwa tour, demonstrates immediately that he’s managed to inspire that same admiration. A diverse line up of race, age, subcultures, many of them rocking the merchandise that sold like hotcakes from HelloSkepta.com recently, and a few proudly rocking vintage Boy Better Know tees, the crowd here has no qualms about showing love – this isn’t about posing and looking cool.

From the moment Skepta hits the stage, donning a customised Sports Direct uniform with hand-painted flames emblazoned across the front, the sing-a-long crew is in full effect. Despite the fact that most of the music performed comes from the same album, it feels like a greatest hits show. Every tune is a fan favourite, everyone in the building knows every word. There’s no chill-out cut, no down time, no filler. And when you take into account that the album in question isn’t even seven days old yet, it’s an incredible feat.

The tour itself was only announced a week ago, and even when it was, there weren’t any venues confirmed for the shows. Most artists wouldn’t even attempt it, but the ballsy move from Skeppy has clearly paid off, selling out four huge shows, London, Glasgow, Birmingham and Manchester, without any support acts or gimmicks, just the promise of catching the man of the moment performing his phenomenal new record.

In his only filmed interview with DJ Semtex that surfaced online earlier in the day he expresses his preference to hear his music in a live setting than played in a club, and this certainly comes across from the show. Far too rough and rowdy for your usual club night; ‘It Ain’t Safe’ evokes gigantic mosh pits, the crowd go ham to every track and Skepta commands it all, towering over his people from the edge of the stage.

Even the most high octane shows can lower in energy if things aren’t kept interesting, but there are plenty of great moments that fans will discuss excitedly amongst their friends on the journey home, from Jammer bursting out to perform his verse on ‘Detox’, to Fekky making a surprise appearance to perform ‘Still Sittin’ Here’, to an emotional moment in which Skepta FaceTime’s his brother Jme while performing ‘Man Don’t Care’ as the crowd chant his name (even from the crowd, Jme is recognisable with his signature du-rag and grin on the distant iPhone screen).

From his ad-libs to social media posts and scarce interviews, Skepta often uses the word ‘Greatness’, and it’s nothing new for an MC to be braggadocios, except that in this case it’s genuinely appropriate. From the execution of the record, the roll out of the release, right down to this spontaneous last minute tour, Skepta is truly achieving greatness, and we look forward to seeing it continue.

– – –

Words: Grant Brydon

Buy Clash Magazine

-
Join the Clash mailing list for up to the minute music, fashion and film news.