Tonight represents his first official show in the capital, and it's near-enough a sell-out - a promising sign following the release of his debut mixtape 'Pier Pressure'. Like so many artists who blew up during the pandemic, ArrDee is yet to prove himself as a live performer. And while he certainly possesses the confidence and bravado to engage tonight's young crowd, he shows little sign of the talent required to sustain a career in this business.

 

 

His 'cheeky chappy' persona is so prominent on each of his tracks that much of what he plays blurs together. His ability as a storyteller is fairly limited, and the more soul-baring cuts like 'Early Hours' lack resonance in an environment like this. Part of the problem is ArrDee's delivery, which is consistently one-note and missing any kind of nuance when the tone of his lyrics shifts in sincerity.

 

He's at his best swarmed by the crowd and delivering his high-tempo hits, and the evening does culminate with an exciting finale of 'Oliver Twist', 'Flowers (Say My Name)' and the aforementioned breakout hit 'Body'. Surrounded by his fans singing every word alongside him, you can understand why Island Records have banked on this young boy from Brighton having a big future - but as his followers mature his music will have to do so with them.