“The best show so far”. Loyle Carner’s return to our city, the first place to sell out on his current tour, was a triumphant one and Leeds certainly earned the title. If there was a place sublimely suited to stage Loyle Carner, Belgrave was it. The room absorbed the self-reflexive lyrics, allowing the audience an intimate entry into the candid world of Loyle Carner.

Emotionally charged from the moment he stepped on stage, Loyle opened with the atmospheric ‘Isle of Arran’. The gospel sample filled the room and grasped the audience, captivating them until Loyle begrudgingly ended his set. After the first track ended, he flashed his innocent grin, pausing to take in the sheer amount of appreciation the venue has to offer; he seemed so humbly unassuming of the sheer magnitude of the effect of his talent on the wanting Leeds audience.  The Belgrave audience showed up. They hit the lyrics, hushed for Carner’s moments of spoken word, and maintained an electric energy.

“There’s a conspiracy” Carner mused. People think he’s depressed when meditating on his dark, pensive verses. But he reassured us he’s “fucking fine”, proving the point with his up-beat collab with Tom Misch, ‘Damselfly’. We were treated to moments exclusive to Loyle Carner’s unique approach to his genre and music. The audience hushed to listen attentively to poetry. For an emerging rap artist this seems brave, but with the depth and honesty of his lyrics we were mesmerised.

The final track, ‘Son of Jean’ was a fitting end to the dynamic show. The backdrop, a projection of Carner’s family that also forms his album artwork, was deserted by the other members, leaving his mum to address the audience. Her poem, as telling as Loyle’s own lyrics, finished the show…

“He was and is a complete joy. The world is his, that scribble of a boy.”

5*

Isla Tweed

(Image: Glasswerk)