Bugzy Malone + SL

For me 2017 felt like the year of grime with Stormzy. Giggs, Krept & Konan, AJ Tracey, Dave and Dizzee Rascal all making memorable visits to the City. This year though the trail appears to have gone cold, with grime going back underground somewhat and other forms of UK urban music making waves. One of the few artists who has been active though, is Manchester’s Bugzy Malone, self-styled King Of The North, whose debut album hit the top 10 a few months ago. A year on from a sold-out Waterfront gig, this felt like the ideal time to go and see if his live show could do his growing fame justice.

The crowd were obviously young and predominantly male, but the vibe was positive with an air of expectation. Oddly though not much was going on to entertain us early arrivals, but soon enough a DJ appeared and cranked up some tunes before introducing support act SL. This was my first experience of live Drill music, a genre that I’m fascinated/excited/frustrated in equal measure by. SL sauntered on stage, mask on, played a handful of tracks to an enthusiastic response and then wandered off. All done in less than 15 minutes, which is slightly bizarre as after a few more tracks from the DJ we went back to not much happening until Bugzy came on. Hard to judge SL then, other than to say getting to play live will no doubt stand him in good stead for the future.

Bugzy Malone seems to have been around for ages but is still only 27. Having left behind his youthful life of crime via boxing and ultimately music, this tour is easily his biggest yet. Backed by a DJ and a stage decked out with a large screen and impressive lights, this certainly felt like a big time live show. The crowd were hyped for it and within moments of the show starting we had mosh pits consuming the entire dance floor. It’s interesting being part of these events, watching the crowd react to the music is almost as good as what is happening on stage. Some of the testosterone did spill over at one point and a rubbish fight broke out on the floor, handbags really, but not the sort of thing you normally see at a gig. The thing that separates Bugzy from many of his contemporaries, apart from his Northernness, is his desire to stretch himself as an artist. He’s not afraid to release commercial tracks with artists like Rag ‘n’ Bone Man, alongside harder tracks like Warning. I may not like all of them, but I can respect his aims. He prowls along the front of the stage throughout the show, but strangely cuts a low-key figure at times, out of the spotlight, letting the music and the visuals do the talking.