Review: Little Simz

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Reviews: Review: Little Simz, O2 Academy

Ngaio Anyia, February 18, 2016

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Little Simz has been one to watch for a while, but she doesn't shout about it.

At this stage if you know about her, you know - but if you don't there's a chance you won't find out until she's dominating the charts. That's how the Bristol leg of her tour felt. This artist has just come off a world tour where a majority of the shows were sold out - the Americans love her - and yet I was surprised to hear that Little Simz was performing in the top room.

She'd obviously been put on in a smaller space to accommodate the number of people who had brought tickets. There are some artists who would let this affect their performance - not Simz. 

A fearless flow is the only constant in her tunes, with almost every beat switching up after each 16. The constant changes leave you expectant, excited, never sure which genre is coming next. There were a couple of times I thought the bass drowned her out which was a shame because her words are fierce. When she dropped Devour (click for link) I was so surprised by the dirty drop that I audibly laughed in delight. Hearing Jackwob production on serious speakers is always madness.

It's easy to forget that Little Simz is 21 years old. She's touring the world with her friends, doing what she loves on her own terms and she's still a young ‘un. When she said "follow your dreams, you can do anything" you kind of had to believe her, considering all she’s accomplished.

Her words capture the world she has come from and the music takes you on a journey with her. London seeps out through strong messages of unapologetic pride in her achievements and ironclad confidence; in her ideas, talent and style. Gratitude from her touring album A Curious Tale of Trials + Personseencapsulates what I like about Little Simz. Starting off with afrobeat-style percussion and chanting, before dropping into vocals and guitar, she talks to us of her past, present & future:

"I came to show there's more, I'm expanding
Still on my lonesome
Give a fuck, I'm chosen
Bit of luck and a wish, maybe we'll get there
But for now, I'm zoning
Somewhere in the air, I'm floating
They will not control us
This the type of shit that ain't never gonna sell
Man, you shouldn't have told us that."

Nearing the end of her set I was concerned she wouldn't perform my favourite track (it’s not as grimy as the rest) but as soon as I heard the familiar strings loop I knew it was time. Marilyn Monroe is the song that solidified my Simz fandom. Effortlessly classic, the black and white video shows Little Simz in a shop with her people. She brought that same vibe to the O2 when Remus came out for his verse. 

Little Simz is an artist who isn’t afraid to be different and who has, somewhat seamlessly, risen to the forefront of a new sound wave. Join her. 

Published on Bristol 24/7

Bristol 24/7 Review: Rodigan's Ramjam, Motion

I am now writing reviews for Bristol 24/7 but totally forgot to post them up here too!

Will upload the rest next week when works calmed down.... Ramjam was SHELLINGS!!!

Clubs: Review: Rodigan's Ramjam, Motion

Ngaio Anyia, February 1, 2016

January isn't renowned as a party month. Everyone's spent their money on Christmas, New Years, travelling to be with family. I got into a taxi at 11pm expecting to arrive at an empty club, but how wrong I was. Motion was sold out. 

The main room was packed, raving out to the selections of Fireman Sam who warmed up the crowd with a range of genres. Grime, dancehall, bashment and UK hip-hop had the crowd moving in unison from the get-go.

Post Fireman and pre Rodigan I thought there would be ample time for a natural break so I went for a wander and was met with the most devastating toilets queue I've ever seen at Motion. It was so bad that three bouncers had been put on crowd control (this is just for the ladies). I made a swift u-turn into the Cave where Conducta was shelling out some serious garage. 

Little Man drew me to the dancefloor and I was lost to nostalgia. As someone who has spent many a night at Motion, I know how hard The Cave can be to fill: it's generally seen as a walk-through or slightly quicker bar but this wasn't the case tonight. Conducta read the crowd to perfection, switching up garage with grime and dropping a couple of old school hip-hop tunes in there for high demand wheel-ups. It took a lot of persuasion to move me from that dance floor.

When Rodigan bounced onto to the stage I couldn't see the floor for people. It is a true testament to the DJ that he could engage a whole raving crowd with reggae. Everyone was there to see this veteran do what he does best and he didn't disappoint. Reggae, dancehall: feelgood music flew out seamlessly and the audience was one of the happiest I've seen. 

The feel-good atmosphere ran straight through to Stormzy who catapulted the energy in a way only grime can. The main room got to one-in-one-out status as the balcony filled to bursting point and sweat started raining from the ceiling. Stormzy delivered - his energy was infectious and reciprocated to moshpit levels.

Truth be told, The Blast teamed with Rodigan's Ramjam had Motion busier than I've seen it in a while. If you were there, you know what I'm saying. If you weren't - you missed out.