"Well, better late than never"- or so the saying goes. As we've headed already into the depths of 2022, I'd like to momentarily transport our minds back to the end of 2021 where some notable shows were played in the city of London, complete with my shortened, quick-fire reviews below...let's hope it's another fruitful year of enlightening music for the hungry masses.
Magdalena Bay at The Lexington, London
Consumed by skin-tight, latex outfits and platform boots, the West Coast spacial pop duo performed a litany of tracks from their latest debut, Mercurial World. Baked into the intimacy of The Lexington, much of the set’s sounds seemed lost, ill-placed and refused to transcend Magdalena Bay’s intergalactic world as frontwoman Mica Tenenbaum tried her attempted best to merge these two worlds into one cohesive fortress.
6/10
Kelly Lee Owens at EartH, London
Through the dim-lit underbelly of Hackey’s EartH venue, one could just about witness the arrival of Kelly Lee Owens - Wales’ answer to modern ambient IDM fused with fist-pumping, waist-girating techno. At times, Owens played on the dynamic subtleties of these tropes, at others, the entrancing set seemed to bite back - lurching into the elusive hysteria of tonight’s mystical, sensual set.
7/10
Ashnikko at O2 Kentish Town Forum, London
The “hometown” show for Ashnikko set ablaze the fabric of O2 Academy’s Kentish Town Forum just before the holiday season. Through a sea of phones, wailing cries and empowering anthems, the singer-songwriter stormed through the hyper-pop powerhouse likes of ‘Tantrum’, ‘Deal With It’ and ‘Cry’, announcing a true apex in her career to date. Unfortunately so, a fair handful of the tracks on this evening fizzled out, faded into the backdrop like a distant memory all too easily, resulting in a sour mediocrity to the show despite the effervescent highs.
6.5/10
Tkay Maidza at Electrowerkz, London
“I think this might be the best show of my life” - quoted from Zimbabwe/Australia's rapper who’s reaching the very beginning of an illustrious career. Immediately before the seasonal festivities kicked into overdrive, Tkay Maidza enacted a coming-of-age renaissance rap show within the belly of London's beast, reciting true-blue bangers ‘Awake’, ‘Shook’, and ‘Kim’. Although this evening’s recital could’ve easily omitted the bizarrely repetitive encore, Maidza staked a vociferous claim within the modern rap game, endorsed by the cantankerous crowd reeling from her an emphatic repertoire.
8/10
All mentioned shows can be found in my 'Best of 2021' list coming soon.
Displayed photos are courtesy of (with hyperlinked pages) Eleonora Collini, Burak Cingi, Sam Huddleston and Elif Gonen.
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