Fabric, London
“It’s like they already knew it.”
Following a tumultuous evening in U.S. politics, Pitchfork Festival presciently procures a tailor-made lineup for this year’s festival based within London; offering a quasi-State of the Union address preached from some of hip-hop’s most affluent and enticing voices.
Since its inception in 2021, Pitchfork Festival’s iterations in London have proven notable, pertinent to the current times we live within; plucking some of the most stand-out artists across recent years. From Kara Jackson and Joanna Sternberg’s heartstrung folk inflections, to By Storm’s (F.K.A. Injury Reserve) rapturously eclectic performance, tonight’s line-up has continued along similar lines to the latter, re-inviting Billy Woods for the headline slot alongside Moor Mother and co-music conspirator Elucid.
Staged against the quickly-amassing crowd, Elucid commences this evening within the intimate confines of London’s subsurface Fabric. Straying away from the popularised repertoire of his duo group Armand Hammer, the rapper instigates biting recitals from his latest LP, Revelator, which seethes with his grating raspiness and enticing flows, cast forth from the hazily-permeating samplings in its backdrop.
Whilst the gravitas of such an amicable rapper proved prominent at this evening’s inception, Moor Mother’s arrival garners a more distinguishable, yet elusive, presence amidst this burgeoning fray. As the soulful hit ‘When Do We Get Paid’ by Staples Jr. Singers presciently reverberates, the rapper's abrupt vocals warp into view, superfluously laden with bass-driven, dissonant vocal effects which puncture throughout (“We’ve been sold a lie”, “They made a killing”, “Tragedy into commodity”). Such an effect yields a powerful, if at times detrimental, prowess for Moor Mother’s powerful rapping on subjects of ancestry, racism and justice; one which retributively calls out wrong-doers and critics with resounding tenacity (“What the fuck you say?”).
For tonight’s finale, the other half of Armand Hammer’s duo enacts the headlining slot, garnering the greatest crowd yet; Billy Woods arriving nonchalantly on-stage, adorned with backpack and laptop. Reciting a slurry and slurred-rapping underground hits over recent years (‘Spongebob’, ‘Houthi’, ‘N***ardly’, ‘Soft Landing’) across myriad albums, Woods’ unequivocal knack for mixing ethereal landscapes with intensely biting poetry rings imminently potent. Drawn from the eyes of the current black experience in America’s confines, as well as abroad, Woods effortlessly coalesces with Elucid who is invited to stage for sporadic tracks, leaning into the enticing synergy between two such enigmatic, enveloping rappers.
As Woods applauds tonight’s promoter for billing such three prominent rappers after a tumultuous evening in the U.S. Presidential Election, it offers a brief respite in which to reflect upon another impressive edition of Pitchfork London Festival. Albeit a brief vignette into the 6-day event across numerous venues within the nation’s capital, this eerily well-timed show marks an indelibly pertinent event which not only reasserts these rappers’ distinguished repertoires but also reaffirms Pitchfork’s ongoing reach within the current music-sphere. In spite of their setbacks and buy-outs in recent years, the outlet continues to spearhead their prescient aptitude for niche, alluring music curated by music lovers, for music lovers.
8/10
For information on future editions of Pitchfork Festival London, please visit here.
Billy Woods' latest LP, Maps, is out now via Backwoodz Studioz and can be found below.
Photo is courtesy of Magdalena Zehetmayr whose work can be found here.
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