An hour and 20 minutes late for her first big headline set, buzzy UK rapper Nadia Rose steps on stage, ready to engage in some damage control. “I’m so sorry I’m late,” the 23-year-old says, slightly breathless and flanked by two huge LED flames, before adding: “It will be worth the wait.”
The tracksuit-clad Croydonite and BBC Sound of 2017 shortlistee quickly engages the crowd with her razor-sharp, sardonic bars on tracks from recently released debut album Highly Flammable: Tight Up is full of dancehall energy, as she’s joined on stage by a group of dancers in matching Adidas, while her grime-ish swagger – reminiscent of her cousin Stormzy – on U Know What gets teens and fortysomethings equally hyped.
Rose alternates her own tracks – and some older offerings – with appearances from up and comers including Peckham MC Prynce Mini, with much of the near two-hour set given over to these guests. It’s a pretty customary structure for a rap gig, but when proceedings are already so delayed it feels like the gig equivalent of a Masterchef contestant attempting to make seven desserts in an hour. Then, in a surreal twist, JME turns up to perform the inimitably menacing Man Don’t Care, and Lethal Bizzle delivers his Fester Skank, their faces launching a thousand Snapchat stories. Rose’s own infectious energy – especially on the funky, dark Skwod, recently brought to the mainstream via Rimmel’s TV ads – brings it all together, but although she’s a five-star performer, this isn’t a five-star showcase.
