Since the release of his debut single ‘Tierney Terrace’ just over a decade ago, Loyle Carner has established himself as one of the most conscious hip-hop artists of recent times. After the popular and critical acclaim of hugo, Carner enjoyed headline slots at All Points East, Glastonbury's West Holts Stage, and Manchester’s Depot Mayfield.
The question to consider following this was how would he release something to match its popularity and quality. In spring, however, he returned with the first taste of his fourth album hopefully !, and it was promising: slightly subdued, but still quintessentially Loyle Carner. Now, he has returned to Manchester for a sold-out run at O2 Victoria Warehouse, performing the best of both his latest record and wider discography to over 10,000 of his Mancunian fans.
First up was London-based multi-disciplinary artist Brian Nasty, who was joined by vocalist Isadora Fairhurst for a set that spanned the many sub-genres of hip-hop music. A surprising highlight during his half-hour performance came in a cover of ‘Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe’, one of Kendrick Lamar’s earliest hits, while ‘don’t look down’ was the track of his own selected to close the set.
Although this inspired a sea of phone flashlights shining back at the rapper, the song fell short of what came before: the advice it provided to “remember no matter how high you climb, don’t look down”, however, could well be one of Loyle Carner’s own lines, and it therefore cannot be disputed that Brian Nasty was an apt choice to open the night.
Irish rapper Rejjie Snow followed, performing a range of tracks from his ever-growing discography. ‘Bye Polar’, ‘Annie’, and ‘Egyptian Luvr’ opened his performance, with the crowd being most familiar with the latter, before ‘Désolé’ continued the selection from 2018’s Dear Annie. At times, Snow let the backing track do most of the work for him, but verses during ‘Spaceships’ and ‘Cookie Chips’, his collaboration with MF DOOM and Cam O’bi, proved his capabilities. ‘Peace to the World’, the title track of his only album to feature not one explicit lyric, featured soothing sounds inspired by Brazilian Bossa Nova, before ‘Blakkst Skn’ and ‘23’ closed the set.
As Loyle Carner prepared to take the stage, his band members assembled themselves in a semi-circle around the central microphone which was clad in a "hope in humankind" scarf. The first notes of ‘all i need’ rang out across the space, complemented by soft-toned lighting which mirrored the warm pastel hues of Carner’s latest album. The man himself arrived to a rapturous reception, choosing to open his performance with 'all i need' and 'in my mind' — the same two tracks which kicked off his new era.
‘Ain’t Nothing Changed’ followed, picking up the pace a little and taking the crowd back to 2017’s Yesterday’s Gone era, which saw Carner arrive on the UK rap scene as a fully-fledged and conscious hip-hop maestro. ‘Yesterday’ gave a chance for Carner’s drummer to shine, proving his new show, which features a full live band, is able to elevate both new material as well as older fan favourites.
As the song drew to a close, Carner declared “this is one of my favourite places in the whole world to play a show, thank you for having us”, and his admiration of the Manchester audience became clear as he removed his ear protection to hear the crowd recite Tom Misch’s melodic chorus in ‘Damselfly’.
“This song is called ‘horcrux’”, he continued, “because I love Harry Potter, but I don’t love J.K. Rowling”. Hearing Carner howl “at the moon” during this song will never not be cringeworthy on record, but somehow he managed to pull it off live, a testament to his captivating yet casual stage presence.
This song demonstrates the rapper's ability to manipulate rhythm and syncopation, and features his own vocals, which is a first as on previous albums he has chosen to feature guest vocalists to tackle his often lyrical choruses. “Shout out to Emma Watson though”, he said as the song came to an end, the first of a collection of praise throughout the night, much of which was directed towards fellow musicians including Madlib, Sampha, and Jorja Smith who provides the vocals on another fan- favourite: 'Loose ends'.
Loyle Carner's passion is always palpable in his performances, and this is especially apparent during ‘Desoleil’, another hit that made it onto the setlist. Each time the song is played live, the line “rhymes that I write will survive” becomes increasingly true. With a sold-out, three-night residency at one of Manchester’s biggest venues, it is undeniable that Loyle Carner will leave a lasting legacy on UK rap music. “This next song is dedicated to the beautiful NHS”, was Carner's introduction to ‘Homerton’, which concluded with a trumpet solo, followed by a short piano interlude leading effortlessly into ‘Nobody Knows (Ladas Road)’ — a track which deals with the feeling of not belonging that Carner has experienced being mixed-race.
Preceding ‘lyin’, Carner admitted “this is the scariest one, so if you feel brave you can sing it with me maybe. This is the song I sing when I put my son to bed”. For ‘purpose’, he perched on the edge of the stage, as close as possible to the front row, and ended the song by stating “I love you so much, truly, madly, deeply”. Continuing, he began ‘Still’, which he described as “the song that I was always most scared to release. Growing up around the people I grew up around, there wasn’t a lot of space for feelings”: it is beautiful to see that the rapper has been able to find music as an outlet for self-expression.
‘Loose Ends’ brought a tear to the eye of many in attendance, and was seamlessly followed by ‘Ice Water’ which was bridged with additional lyrics recited back to him by only the most devoted of fans in attendance. “We’re close to the top of the mountain”, Carner noted before launching into ‘Speed of Plight’, another track elevated by the live band involved in the creation of both hopefully and hugo. “It’s easy to be pessimistic, it’s hard to be hopeful”, Carner insisted as the song came to a close, before admitting “I always get nervous when I play here, I feel like I owe you guys something for being here with me across the course of these albums”.
hopefully !, is a beautiful album, showcasing a more self- reflective and personal side to the rapper as he navigates fatherhood. This is most strongly present in ‘about time’, originally performed as a speech to close his 2024 shows including an appearance at The Warehouse Project. In quite the full circle decision, it was placed as the final track on hopefully !, and also initiated the closing segment of the album’s live show. The song is full of memorable, contemplative and heart-warming lyrics, most prominently “they say my son needs a father, not a rapper, can I give him what he’s after?”.
‘Ottolenghi’ followed, reclaiming its position as the final song before Loyle Carner’s encore, closing the main portion of his set with the vulnerable personal reflection that characterises much of his music. After criticising Reform UK, Nigel Farage, Jeremy Clarkson, and Piers Morgan at various points during the set, “they will not divide us” were Carner’s final words before he took a bow and returned the crowd’s heartfelt applause.
Reappearing alone after a brief rest, Carner asked the audience for permission to perform a new poem, which was quintessentially self-reflective as he posed the question “I look down at these letters I type, every letter I write, does it define my life?” before confessing: “I used to sit and write letters at night to the people of my life who live in the sky” and concluding with the advice: “don’t hide, everything that you love is outside”. If the poem performed on previous tours turned into ‘about time’, it is right to consider that this one may feature on future projects.
The live band returned for a rendition of ‘A Lasting Place’, a highlight from hugo which ended the show with the rapper stating “I don’t want to be an old man”. Loyle Carner has always demonstrated wisdom beyond his years, but with each album it seems he grows increasingly mature. hopefully ! offers a glimpse of the man as a father and contemplates the complexities that come alongside parenthood, all while displaying the same flair which fans know and love. His live show is akin to a spiritual experience, and the connection Carner makes with his crowd is unparalleled. It is easy to see why he was able to sell out three nights in a row.
https://open.spotify.com/album/3QiiMhk65fgCPOKThjZ8iK?si=875emOxcSHeqQO3ToQKiMA
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