HMV’s Next Big Thing is the corporation’s answer to emerging talent. Zindzi gives us an insight into Angel’s headline gig.
I find it a personal insult if someone knows about a band or singer before I do, and in that mindset I was ready to preview the home grown talent that were set to make an impact in the UK charts this year.
The night took place in the intimate setting of Islington’s Relentless Garage, meaning that the audience had a great connection with the musicians on stage.
Being the young professional journalist that I am, we arrived early at the venue. Unfortunately, 7pm came and went and it wasn’t until a toe numbing, hour later, that they started to let people inside.
Finally inside, we hurry into a small dark venue. The first act on stage is Smiler, unfortunately he had to execute his lyrics to a shy crowd, meaning there was meters of space in-between the stage and his most eager fan. Undeterred Smiler smashed his performance and his high energy; fast raps, warmed the place right up, the feeling in my toes slowly returned.
The next act on stage definitely brought the crowd forward. Encore, a beautiful three-piece boy-band filled the stage with their presence. They sang and rapped songs including their new single ‘Fun Last Night’, which had the whole crowd joining in.
Next was UK rapper GFrsh. He hyped up the crowd with a powerful flow and punchy bars and the crowd was feeling it!
Finally was the act we had all been waiting for, UK R’n’B singer Angel graced the stage. With the help of his live band and cheeky DJ, Angel turned the night into a concert, singing songs from his mix tapes ‘Any Minute Now’ and ‘Seven Minutes Before Time’, including his new singles ‘Go In, Go Hard’ (ft Wretch 32), but the highlight of the night was the performance of his feel good single ‘Ride Out’ in which Scorcher jumped on the stage to rap a verse.
Not only was every performance on point but the audience itself was made up of a talented crowd I spotted Bashy, T-Boy and if I was brave enough I could of even touched X factor star-Misha B. That might have been a bit weird…
Nights such as HMV’s Next Big Thing are essential in continuing the accessibility of the UK music industry and promoting and supporting artists from early on in their career. It just goes to show that real talent doesn’t have to be seen at the price of a £30 concert ticket.
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