★★★

When 18 year-old bedroom producer Dylan Mills (AKA Dizzee Rascal) dropped his Boy in da Corner album in 2003, only a bold prophet would have predicted his eventual metamorphosis from pirate radio MC to serial hit-maker.

Thirteen years later, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to describe him as a national treasure.

Grime’s resurgence has only served to raise his standing, and his Hastings Pier show began with a timely nod to those beginnings.

Young fans hoping to hear the sounds that spawned the likes of Stormzy and Novelist were treated to a medley incorporating the genre-defining I Luv U, Stop Dat and Jezebel.

What followed was a career spanning set that highlighted the eclecticism of Mills’ back catalogue as much as its broad appeal.

As you’d expect from an artist with Dizzee’s experience, his performance alongside MC Big Man Scope and DJ MK was slick and well-rehearsed, to the extent that some of the post-Boy in da Corner material verged on sterile.

What really impressed was the sheer speed and playfulness of his vocal delivery.

Attempts to engage the crowd were slightly contrived, although the buoyant response to Dance Wiv Me, Hype and set-closer Bonkers proved that sometimes an infectious hook is all that’s required to galvanize an audience.