After taking the stage to ‘IGOR’S THEME‘, Tyler, the Creator jokes: “Haven’t seen a lot of you in a while.” He’s stood on stage alone, in a two-piece baby blue suit with a bleach blonde wig atop his head. He’s already soaking in sweat after just one song; but he’s also soaking in the atmosphere of his second sold-out show on his long-awaited return to the UK. The crowd, most of whom looking like they’re wearing their most fashionable clothes for the affair, all start chanting in unison: “F#%k Theresa May“. The disdain for the former PM isn’t just edgy political protest – during her stint as home secretary back in 2015, May banned Tyler from entering the country, due to the controversial nature of his performances and his lyrical content.
Earlier this year Tyler’s ban was lifted. He shared footage of him outside Buckingham Palace and tried to have an impromptu show in Peckham, which was rapidly shut down after the venue was overrun by fans desperate to catch a glimpse of the rapper who’s not performed in the UK in over four years. During those four years, Tyler has released two albums: ‘Flower Boy‘ in 2017 and most recently ‘IGOR‘ in May of this year. Both albums have been met by praise from critics and fans alike, and have seen the rapper mature from his riotous and controversial reputation which lead to his ban from performing in a number of countries.
The album ‘IGOR‘ saw Tyler share more than ever before about his personal life, and be much more open about his sexuality – as he used the album’s character of Igor, an alter-ego, to allow for further creative expression. In continuation of this, Tyler performed his full ninety minute set in costume, with his wig remaining firmly on his head throughout, despite his manic and upbeat stage presence.
Tyler started his set with six tracks in a row from his latest album and his energy was infectious from the off, as he fully adopted his Igor alter-ego. Throughout the show, Tyler’s vocal range was outstanding; I’d been slightly sceptical as to how well he’d cope performing the songs from his new album given the heavy vocal manipulation, but there wasn’t a single moment where Tyler seemed to falter or struggle. A standout ‘IGOR‘ moment came from the album’s lead single, ‘EARFQUAKE‘, which saw Tyler perform a piano rendition of the track, accompanied solely by the vocals of the audience, who sang every single word, before he performing the studio version himself.
After covering most of ‘IGOR‘, Tyler emphasised how “It’s been four years since I’ve been back“, before diving into his back discography, debuting tracks from his 2017 album ‘Flower Boy‘ for the London audience. Despite a focus on his more recent material, Tyler did go back to some of his earlier songs, performing fan favourites ‘She‘, ‘IFHY‘ and even the track ‘Yonkers‘ which gained the rapper notoriety back in 2011.
The rapper ended his set with the ‘IGOR‘ album closer ‘ARE WE STILL FRIENDS?‘. He stood on a raised platform, centre stage looking out over the five thousand person crowd and truly sung his heart out. He confidently stated to the crowd, “I put on a great show, that’s just facts” and I have to say I agree with him; Tyler put on a masterful display of his musical talent and showmanship. Now his UK ban has been lifted, I imagine he’ll have plenty of offers of festival headline slots, and if that’s the case, you need to catch him live.
Setlist:
1. IGOR’S THEME
2. I THINK
3. A BOY IS A GUN*
4. NEW MAGIC WAND
5. PUPPET
6. EARFQUAKE
7. 911
8. IFHY
9. GONE, GONE
10. OKRA
11. Tamale
12. Yonkers
13. She
14. Who Dat Boy
15. Boredom
16. RUNNING OUT OF TIME
17. WHAT’S GOOD
18. See You Again
19. ARE WE STILL FRIENDS?
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