Feed: Culture | The Guardian
Posted on: Wednesday, March 16, 2022 3:45 PM
Author: Alexis Petridis
Subject: Stormzy review – victory lap for the big dog
| Two years after he was due to tour his second album, the rapper makes the most of arena-sized spectacle – though arguably, he could carry the show without the special effects As Stormzy points out, the audience in Newcastle bought their tickets for this show two years ago. While he says he's delighted that they showed up – "I thought, 'fucking hell, we're still here'" – there's a sense in which the unexpectedly protracted lead-up to his arena gigs has worked in his favour. It's certainly an odd position he finds himself in: touring his second album, 2019's Heavy Is the Head, just as he's about to release its follow-up. But the lengthy delay means he's not performing less familiar, recently released material, but well-worn songs from a platinum album that have been streamed millions of times since its release. Album tracks are greeted like greatest hits, the audience word-perfect not just on the obvious smashes – Vossi Bop, Own It and Big for Your Boots (from his debut album) – but on Rachael's Little Brother and Do Better. The entire show feels like a victory lap, amplified by recent events: six months after the live industry more or less resumed activity, there's still a distinct sense of release – of something more than the usual excitement of a big arena show – about the crowd's reaction, which starts at fever pitch and ramps up as the gig goes on. |