“She makes my Mondays feel like Fridays…”
The American spoken-word poet recently entered through several of North London's venues in a string of sets illustrating the rise and fall of Hobo Johnson, perhaps with an emphasis on the latter.
In 2023, the current state of popular music is inundated with young, introspective white men pouring their hearts out to us. For the spoken-word/pop-driven lane, it’s invariably a saturated one: Lil Dicky, Jack Harlow, Bo Burnham (to name just a few). For Frank Lopes Jr., otherwise seen as Hobo Johnson, this brand has flourished in myriad ways over recent years. From the sparked attention of his NPR Tiny Desk submission in 2018, to his debut major label release in 2019, the poet announced a highly-anticipated, rare string of sold-out shows across North London, tonight situating us within the underground vicinity of Hackney’s Sebright Arms.
As Johnson slowly wades through the crowd, which parts like the red sea, the compounding anticipation eventually outpours once the stage is reached - brandishing a surefire initiation into an upbeat euphoria (“1-2-3-4-5-6, do it!”). Driven by adolescent-endemic smitten moments dissipating the Monday blues, the noticeably younger demographic in attendance imminently take court within tonight’s proceedings, jostling and jumping into one another. Speaking directly to those heart-stricken moments, too, ‘Romeo & Juliet’ palpably yearns for romance as the glitchy samplings and softened backdrop play their supporting roles to the poetry slam-esque lyricism (“I brush the bangs behind her lovely little ear / As she describes in detail how the end is truly near”).
Unfortunately, such artistry often caves in on its own over-exuberance, beholden by its crass, tongue-in-cheek behaviour, and tonight was no exception. With ‘Subaru Crosstrek XV’ enacting a Lil Dicky brand of bland, modern trap aesthetics, caked in a care-free, self-detrimental facade, ‘Noah’s Ark’ prolongs this unflattering side to Johnson’s unpredictable persona. Adjusting the track’s subject matter to suit the predominant wildlife life in the U.K. (from buffalos to hedgehogs), the impromptu poetry proved scattered in its narrative and tiring to invest in, frivolously switching between exuberance and despair throughout.
With the crowd begging and pleading with Johnson, the artist acquiesces, reciting his most popular track to date, ‘Peach Scone’, taken from his aforementioned set. With the fortuitous addition of Bonelang’s drummer and guitarist performing instrumentals, the prior absence of such ultimately undermines all that came before: lacking a striking pertinence in his instrumental textures. Underpinned by the heart-torn, love-yearning credentials of such a repertoire (“I love the thought of being with you / Or maybe it’s the thought of not being so alone”), the artist yet again proves dizzyingly scattered, exasperating in his performance: in one breath the preacher, the next vapidly questioning today’s myriad scone flavours.
Devoid of a common thread or narrative, Hobo Johnson ultimately succumbed to a smorgasbord of emotions, complete with interim moments of stand-up comedy tonight. Compounding this, the crowd deemed themselves a rightful product of his unfettered world, enjoying his frivolities but insistent on bartering and interrupting (including moments of drunken in-fighting). For all of Johnson’s admiration and hype, one couldn’t quite gather exactly what else was brought forth to the saturated table of today’s pop scene beyond a poorer offering of Bo Burnham-meets-Olivia Rodrigo. Within this particular scene, Johnson offers little to stand-out beyond the (already fairly flattened) curve.
4.5/10
Hobo Johnson's latest LP, Hobo Johnson Alienates His Fanbase, is out now and can be found below.
Photo is courtesy of Ian Shoots Photos whose work can be found here.
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