Heralded as the voice of a generation, Roots Manuva’s lyrics are relatable for many.
Bridging the gap between hip-hop and electronica, he’s renowned for resonating with his audience and connecting with them in a way that many fail to do.
Born in Jamaica and raised in Stockwell, his career was launched and has been maintained on the Big Dada label, which now counts inspiring and innovative lyricists Wiley and Kate Tempest amongst its members.
Roots Manuva has been notably quiet on the releases front for the last few years, so this was an opportunity for fans to reconnect with one of the greats.
His entrance to the stage was to whoops of applause, and he opened by stating he would be on his best behaviour.
As an artist with adult lyrics and contents, it was a strange move to place his set near the beginning of the Sunday; something many of the audience members and Roots Manuva himself seemed to find baffling.
Nonetheless, he adapted to the timing well, roused the crowd and impressed with his confident, melodic delivery.
His performance was smooth and witty, peppered with hits and lesser-known tracks, but it did feel like it would have gone down a lot better several hours later.
Three stars
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