Kanye @ KOKO

   Whilst queuing in line in Camden for three hours, letting my toes turn in to icicles and my face grow so numb that I could barely push out a sentence, I decided to lower my expectations of the surprise Kanye gig at Koko. In typical Ye style, the doors that were meant to open at 11 opened at 1, leading me to believe that my quest of somehow getting myself from Arkley to Camden in less than an hour would leave me not only with hypothermia, but also with a measly half an hour set from the genius himself. However, after I entered the club and somehow found myself within spitting distance from the stage, surrounded by the stereotypical Hypebeasts with a rumbling bass through my eardrums, my thoughts on what I was about to see were massively exceeded. Rather than using the night as an opportunity to show his usual egotistical self, which I admit I do strangely adore, Kanye altered all the norms from his usual style of performance. Firstly by breaking all conventional laws of supporting acts, mixing the work of other artists brought out including Skepta, JME, Meridan Dan, Novelist, Vic Mensa, Big Sean, Raekwon and Chyi da Prince, throughout the hour and a half long show rather than just at the beginning, creating a diverse but heavenly set list designed by the gods above. His new found support and involvement of the UK Grime artists, something that most would find highly unexpected, made the crowd roar even louder, causing an array of aggressive mosh pits to be formed throughout the night. Leaving behind the usual rants, elaborate visuals and prolonged instrumentals, Kanye stuck to a simple slideshow of religious medieval images with a bit of red and strobe lighting, putting his entirety of energy and enthusiasm solely in to his performance, giving the 1,500 audience members who made the show sell out within minutes exactly what they wanted rather than the pretentious material that most would've been waiting for. I found myself speechless afterwards, unable to comprehend wether I'd just woken up from a dream. After spending the last few weeks wincing every time I hear 'Only One' or 'FourFiveSeconds', wanting to blow out my brains whilst wondering what exactly Ye's playing at with this commercial musical vomit, Tuesday night completely restored my faith in the beast that is Kanye West. He's officially back and in my opinion, better than ever. Yeezy season is in full swing. 

H