Stormzy, O2 Academy, Birmingham - review
After producing the first grime album to ever reach number one in the UK albums chart, last night saw Stormzy take to a sold out O2 Academy in Birmingham.
After being named as an artist to look out for in the BBC's Sound of 2015 list and winning Best Grime Act at the 2014 and 2015 MOBO Awards, Stormzy released his debut album 'Gangs Signs & Prayer' earlier this year reaching number one following the success of lead single 'Shut Up'. Following a number of recent television appearances as well as a collaboration at this year's Brit Awards with pop star Ed Sheeran, Stormzy has taken the place as grime's poster boy that even your mum might have heard of.
Acting as his biggest headline show to date, the smile on Stormzy's face was telling of how proud he was to have reached such a point so early in his career. An imposing figure on stage at 6'5, backed only by a DJ and simple light show, the show relied entirely on Stormzy to lead and entertain the packed room. And he can do that with the upmost confidence and style.
Tracks such as 'Cold' and 'Mr Skeng' had the entire audience jumping around before slowing it down with tracks such as 'Blinded By Your Grace Pt1' and 'Velvet'. Stormzy's ability to take inspiration from various places other than the grime scene and display it in an accessible manner is the reason that at his point in time he's so successful and it's only right that he pushes this show into arenas for the next tour. A cover of Ed Sheeran's 'Shape of You' pleases the casual fans whilst older tracks such as 'One Take' and 'Standard' appease older fans. Returning for an encore including 'Big for Your Boots' and 'Shut Up', the talent shown on stage was unparalleled. Stormzy truly is at the top of his game.
