After a bit of a setback last year when a shooting at The Garage venue in Islington meant Wiley’s tour had to be postponed, the Godfather of Grime returned to London on Tuesday to promote his huge 2014 album ‘Snakes and Ladders’, supported by next-big-thing Stormzy and their extensive grime family.
Asked to finish eating his takeaway before he could enter the building, Stormzy exploded onto the stage after a short set from Solo 45 with the massive ‘Where Do You Know Me From?”, which saw the club go up on a Tuesday in major fashion. Thanking Wiley massively, the MOBO award winner declared his influence on the scene as “unparalleled”, setting the anticipation high for his return to the stage.
Peforming bits and pieces of ‘Snakes and Ladders’ material, Wiley blitzed across the stage cloaked in a hoodie, before shedding it off to reveal a brown striped jumper and jeans. The East London grime pioneer delivered a raw, energetic set that saw him jokingly stopping for water many a time and at one point declaring: “I am a yard behind right now’, wrongly reckoning he is too old for such an energetic display.
New tracks ‘Badman’, ‘On A Level’ and ‘No Skylarking’ were met with huge adoration while a middle section featuring those mid 2000s club classics ‘Heatwave’ and ‘Can You Hear Me’ induced some crazed energy with sugary drinks flying everywhere, as did a rendition of Boy Better Know favourite: ‘Too Many Man’.
The show at points did drop into disarray with Wiley and camera phone-armed friends not quite sure what to do next but it was when he brought about 30 MCS on stage, including Skepta, Chipmunk, Solo 45, Lethal Bizzle and Maxsta, that things got most impressive and subsequently, most anarchic.
From Channel U favourite, ‘Murkle Man’ to Skepta and JME’s ‘That’s Not Me’ the numerous grime reloads saw some huge bars delivered from newcomer Maxsta and Chipmunk especially.
Things descended into into actual chaos however when Solo 45 dropped upcoming single ‘Feed ‘Em To The Lions’. Topless and wild-eyed, it was the biggest spectacle of the night with Stormzy later rightfully saying on Twitter ‘BRUV…FEED EM TO THE LIONS IS AN ABSOLUTE MOVIE WHEN YOU SEE IT LIVE”.
Thanking fans and his fellow MCS at the end, Wiley announced he’d be coming out for a drink with everyone a bit later, his humbleness and willingness to chat showing how much this man deserves his place as head of a very English scene.
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