Loyle Carner’s Mercury Prize nominated album ‘Hugo’, took him all over the UK in 2023, as he performed the profound new record across some of the country’s biggest venues and arenas.
Now he’s gearing up to headline the bill at this Summer’s All Points East festival, with rap royalty Nas and Andre 3000 playing in support for what will he be his biggest ever show in front of 50,000 fans.
Yet it was the comparatively humble Night Tales in East London that played host to Sound London MCs, for an intimate gig to some 300 adoring fans.
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Flanked by his live band, he stepped out to a jazzy rendition of ‘Hate’, an intense, compelling track that immediately grabbed the attention of the packed room. From there he moved into ‘Georgetown’, the head-nodder that speaks to the challenges of being mixed race – “I’m white like the key on the piano, black like they key on the piano” as the haunting organ keys rang over the venue.
From here, he took a minute to connect with the crowd. He has a compelling aura yet still very humanly distances himself from the glitz, glamour and bravado of his fellow rap contemporaries, stating the venue was “only an eight-minute cycle” from here. It wasn’t hard to believe that Loyle might have jumped on a Lime bike to get over just in time for his set.
He candidly admitted he was putting his young daughter down for bed before he came and was “napping with her just an hour ago”. Loyle then goes on to dedicate his next song to his young son. Clearly, having children has provided himself a newfound perspective and appreciation of his world and new family unit, creating an engrossing depth to his presence on stage.
His flawless band was made up of some of the best taste makers and craftsmen from their respective fields – be it the leading jazz drummer Richard Spaven or guitarist Mark Mollison, who has worked closely with the likes of Celeste.
Reaching the peak of the evening, the crowd – now well fuelled by free Casa Amigos cocktails – sang harmoniously to classic hits ‘Still’ and ‘Ottolenghi’ before he broke into crowd favourite ‘Angel’ with Tom Misch, demonstrating the breadth and strength of his catalogue.
The intimate gig gave fans a rare experience, in touching distance of a rapper at the top of his game and seemingly truly at peace with the world he has built.
All roads lead to All Points East in August.
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Loyle Carner will play All Points East in Victoria Park, London on August 17th – tickets are on sale now.
Words: Angus McKeon
Photography: Grant Walker
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