“Fuck a fortune teller, I’m a force of nature. Have ups and downs like an elevator (Yeah). I’m the instigator, you’re a non-disclosure. Piss take and now I got a boner.”
The snarling opening lines of the set etches a pretty distinct impression of the night that succeeds them. From the moment an energetic Slowthai bounds onto the Newcastle stage, barking out his choruses with the enthusiasm and bite of a feral dog unleashed, the crowd erupt. These eruptions of firey passion seldom yield even slightly through the night, as Tyron Frampton acts as a persistent stream of ignition and spark.
Prior to Frampton’s entrance, it was the responsibility of Deb Never to engage the City Hall’s building crowd. With slick electronics complementing her melodic, pop tendencies, the set introduced me to a litany of accessible, personable tracks that marry the old and the new beautifully.
As a support, there was a deliberate and strategic way Deb Never slowly rose the audience’s engagement. Walking out to a dubious and tentative crowd, Deb Never left the stage with a ravenous rabble behind her.
Taking that energy and thrusting it further, Knucks was the gateway drug that transitioned the night from floating, earnest pop, to the earth and grit of the London rap scene. Where his tracks may have suffered slightly from being overly repetitive and one dimensional, there is no doubt that the energy was mounting with every track. With his flow feeling honest and fluid, there was a real attack that became increasingly prominent towards the end of his tenure.
With both supports acting as a dynamic showcase of their own talents, and a vibrant teaser for the headline act, the crowd were undeniably engaged and ready for the oncoming carnage. Yet once Slowthai is standing before an audience, there is no comparison.
With each number being punctuated by a series of whoops and grunts from the performer, the moments between each track were as frenzied and boisterous as any anthemic hit the night provided.
From the seasoned classics of Slowthai’s discography, be it the dirty, grimy edge of ‘Doorman’ or ‘Drug Dealer’, or new, unreleased tracks that tease new directions and swivels in the artist’s career, each track was lapped up by the frantic fan-base.
Briefly interrupting his own tenacious rhythm to address a girl who’d passed out, Slowthai drove each moment of his performance with humour and unrelenting momentum.
As a very minimal stage featured nothing more than a projector screen and the man himself, Slowthai gave a masterclass on personality, energy and hooliganistic showmanship.
