Much is staked on Asake’s return to London tonight. Outside, police approach attendees asking if they attended the Nigerian Afrobeats superstar’s show in Brixton last December, where a crush killed two people, Gaby Hutchinson and Rebecca Ikumelo, and if they would be prepared to give evidence. It’s a confronting reminder that the events of that night are still subject to an ongoing investigation. The wisdom of an arguably premature return to London already in question, it’s in Asake’s interests to be sensitive and deliver on the back of his acclaimed new album, the texturally rich, hook-laden Work of Art.
But the show is immediately mired by his lateness, a full 90 minutes after he was due on stage, leaving him just 35 minutes until curfew. There is speculation that this is due to concerns over crowd control outside the venue. (On a livestream of the gig, Asake says: “Safety is my top priority tonight.”) When the show does begin, it starts with a tribute to Hutchinson and Ikumelo: actors dressed in white flood the stage, Aina More gives a spoken-word performance detailing the events in December and news footage plays in the background. It merges into an appeal by the Metropolitan police, and feels cold and artless: Ikumelo’s sister has since said that Asake has not kept in touch with her family, despite using her personal videos in his show. It feels especially ridiculous when Asake finally arrives into the arena on a camouflage helicopter that descends with painful slowness.
