REVIEW: Loyle Carner at Engine Rooms, Southampton

Loyle Carner. Picture by Ken KabanLoyle Carner. Picture by Ken Kaban
Loyle Carner. Picture by Ken Kaban
By the amount of airplay Loyle Carner is getting on Radio 1 '“ it's clear that big things are expected of him.

The 22-year-old hip-hop star from South London is currently on the rise and on tour, making a name for himself and promoting his debut album Yesterday’s Gone.

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He played at the Engine Rooms in Southampton – an interesting warehouse-unit venue tucked away on an industrial estate - to a sold out crowd on Wednesday.

His sound has something a bit more to it than other British hip-hop acts, there’s a story to it. And at the risk of sounding like a cliched X Factor judge, that story shows through.

Tracks like Isle of Arran and BFG – well received by the crowd – both heavily reference his grief at losing his dad.

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Other tracks reference his relationship with his mother and Florence sees him rap about how his desire to have a little sister.

Of course the album has other topics, Stars and Shards looks at drug dealing, No CD is about being broke and Ain’t Nothing Changed is a rather frustrated look at society.

At the end of the set, Loyle explains why he’s been performing with a T-shirt slung over his shoulder – It’s his dad’s football shirt – and as he says that his dad was also a musician so it’s his way of sharing the stage with him, the crowd’s heart melts. Then a video plays of his mum.

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Loyle Carner is more than the aggressive repetitive hip-hop that have flooded the scene. With his emotion, mixed with melodic chords and nods to ’90s acts like A Tribe Called Quest, he might just have what it takes to break – and stay – in the mainstream.