Loyle Carner

It truly is rare that you come across a ‘bona fide’ artist such as Loyle Carner – raw, honest and genuine. Carner, a Rap artist from South London, found huge success on his 2014 EP A Little Late earning his title as “the sentimental face of grime“ by The Guardian. His latest album Yesterday’s Gone featuring the single Damesfly with Tom Misch is only a snippet of his sheer brilliance as an artist and what his new album has to offer. Carner is a ‘genuine artist’, meant in the entirety of the phrase. He is a genuine lyricist with the ability to move, touch, and be painfully intimate with his audience. His lyrics are poetic yet cutting and packed with blunt honesty dealing with issues closest to him such as family, the passing of his stepfather, friends and approaching adulthood. His most cutting lyrics include: “Everyone says I’m fucking sad/Course I’m fucking sad/I miss my fucking dad” from his song BFG. His lyrics are then fused with his genuine music artistry where the instrumentals themselves are melodically and musically brilliant. His tracks are minimal – paying homage to J Dilla’s work with A Tribe Called Quest. They’re composed of a drum kit, an electric guitar, a prominent melody riff influenced by different genres such as jazz, rock and nine-tees hip hop, leaving room for his rich baritone voice to drive, dominate and complete the track.

Carner however, is above all, a genuine performer. His stage presence is fuelled with energy and charisma, sharing the stage with his childhood friend and producer Rebel Kleff. Carner is a captivating and moving watch as he salutes his late stepfather by gripping and waving his favourite Manchester United Cantona shirt, despite being a Liverpool fan himself. If you want to see a refreshing, raw, moving and genuinely talented act, I cannot urge that you go see Loyle Carner at Motion, Bristol enough.