Stormzy, tour review: Grime star raps up a storm in emotional hometown gig

The Thornton Heath MC's energy was relentless, though there was plenty of room in his hour-long set given to soppy, slow jams, says Matilda Egere-Cooper
Energy: Stormzy at Brixton Academy. He performs there tonight and tomorrow
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Stormzy wasn’t about to let the significance of selling out a venue a bus ride away from his home turf pass with little fanfare.

“There’s not many youths where I’m from who get to sell out Brixton Academy,” said the Thornton Heath MC during the first night of his three-night residency. “So bruv, this one’s an emotional one.”

That probably explains why he gave plenty of room in his hour-long set to soppy, slow jams such as Cigarettes & Cush and the heart-warming gospel singalongs Blinded By Your Grace (Pt. 1 and Pt. 2). They were reminders that the 23-year-old never aimed to be another rapper packing razor-sharp bars and witty wordplay.

He can carry a shy note thanks to his church upbringing but last night’s finer occasions came when things were brilliantly grimy — and in his words, “hashtag merky” — making the most of a slick stage production aided by flashy visuals and his official DJ Tiiny. The supersonic Cold, from Stormzy’s No 1 debut album Gang Signs & Prayer, was an early favourite. He also made room for throwbacks, from WickedSkengMan 4 to One Take Freestyle — his earlier tributes to grime heroes Jme and Ghetts. Extra points would have been given had they popped up on stage, but the only guest, J Hus, was just as welcome on hype song Bad Boys.

Performance-wise, Stormzy’s energy was relentless — and if Big For Your Boots, Shut Up and Know Me From hadn’t descended into pyrotechnics and confetti as a final touch, his efforts would have been enough to ensure the show was what he set out to achieve: a powerful triumph from a fascinating, homegrown star.

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