Stormzy is well and truly back with a bang after his show at the First Direct Arena, Leeds.
The superstar rapper has embarked on his first highly-anticipated world tour, of his album ‘Heavy Is The Head’.
Stormzy descended on a podium as he rapped ‘Big Michael’, the opening track of his album.
Read more: Hollywood legend Chris Rock to perform at First Direct in Leeds
From first impressions, the rapper commanded the stage with a blistering stage presence.
The stage design was also immaculately executed. Lighting and sound were incredibly precise - every one of the rapper’s syllables was highlighted with a flash of light and pyrotechnics.
At one point, a lighting rig in the shape of a gold crown hovered above his head, metaphorically proclaiming him as the king of UK rap. Let’s face it, after his 2019 Glastonbury set (in which he worse a custom Banksy vest), Stormzy is now the undisputed king of the UK rap scene, rivaled only by Dave.
This world tour was designed and executed by the same people who put together Beyonce’s mammoth Coachella performance.
Like Beyonce, Stormzy is a potent advocate for black representation and excellence, such as his ‘Stormzy Scholarship’ which launched at Cambridge University. Since 2018, this initiative has paid for and supported “two UK black students each year” at the prestigious university.
Throughout his set, Stormzy, born Michael Omari, danced and paced across his stage, involving the audience every step of the way.
Stormzy gave a lengthy ode to Leeds, saying that the last time he was in our area was at Leeds Festival and that it is one of his favourite cities to perform in. He praised the audiences’ enthusiasm, which they reciprocated with applause.
Towards the middle of his nearly two-hour-long set, he slowed the pace to include more gospel/soulful led numbers.
Six backup singers joined the rapper on stage, along with a saxophonist and trumpeter.
Stormzy has gained a reputation for lengthy yet agile raps and tonight was no different. He had no trouble at all in recalling and performing his lyrics, much to the evident delight of the arena.
While the star reserved most of his crowdpleaser hits (as many artists do) for the end of the gig, not once did the audiences’ attention from him waver.
Highlight numbers include the chart-topping ‘Vossi Bop’ and the gospel-infused ‘Blinded By Your Grace’.
He took the arena through a journey of his sophomore album, which was released in late 2019 - now two and a half years ago.
Stormzy said on stage that many of the fans watching would have bought a ticket two years earlier. Like countless other artists, the tour had to be postponed due to coronavirus restrictions. This time two years ago, in fact, the streets were emptying as fears grew over the virus.
However, such fears were not on anybody’s mind tonight. The rapper excelled in giving the audience exactly what they hoped for - and more importantly - what they waited for.
Thanks to Pink Gorilla and their VIP box, we had the best seats in the arena watching Stormzy’s long-awaited show
To get the latest email updates from LeedsLive, click here.
