One of the UK’s best exposés of new music, The Great Escape festival played a fitting host to one of the best new faces in grime. Though London MC Stormzy could hardly be described as unheard of, the 22 year old is one of the genre’s fastest rising stars and his performance at the festival shows him still in ascendency.
Formerly known as Big Mikey, before assuming the moniker Stormzy, his 6’5” presence took over the sparsely filled FACT stage at the Brighton Dome. Headlining the stage, he brought a fast paced set that smashed through his singles to date. Including Not That Deep, the track that first brought him to the attention of the world at large, as Jools Holland featured Stormzy as the the first ever unsigned rapper to perform on his show.
Spitting through the track with his irrepressible energy and swagger, loose limbed and easy in his quick fire flow. Articulate and drenched in sweat, Stormzy’s got the crowd going and finished with a smile on his face. Understandably as his appearance at The Great Escape marks his biggest UK show a few months. Fresh off tours in the US and Japan, Stormzy is well on his way to delivering on the predictions made by his mentors and industry supporters. An artist taking grime international, the young MC has evolved a teenager’s cocky ambition into an all conquering position in music.
Bringing depth and an earnest maturity to his live performances, fans are eagerly awaiting more of the same on his highly anticipated debut album. His first record is set to drop later this year through his own label.
Watch the video of Not That Deep live at The Great Escape below:
Image: The Guardian