“London, I used to go ice skating here as a kid,” the 29-year-old British rapper Little Simz tells the crowd at Alexandra Palace. “In 2019, I opened up for Jungle here. And now I’ve sold out two nights. What?!” Tonight, Simz is quite literally at home; we’re about a 15-minute drive from where she grew up in Islington.
Simz – full name Simbiatu Abisola Abiola Ajikawo – commands the stage with a certain militancy. She spits in her inimitable dextrous flow during “X”, one of several songs she performs tonight off her excellent 2022 album No Thank You. Dozens of soldier-like silhouettes march in formation on a screen behind her. There’s a theme here. Simz is dressed like an undercover agent, wearing an oversized white shirt, a neat black tie, matching leather gloves, and a pair of blacked-out Prada shades. On closer inspection of the crowd, she is the kingpin of a stylish army: her most devoted fans are in matching attire – there’s a fleet of dapper fans here to see her tonight.
