Charged by the momentum of his anticipated ‘Free Game’ mixtape, Kennington’s very own embarked on his national ‘Free Game’ tour and fittingly met the end last night, at Brixton’s intimate Electric venue.
Typically, the last leg of the tour is always something special but Sam Wise as a performer is an incredibly refreshing energy. The rapper creates a seamless atmosphere, where both his passion for the music and passion for the people – his tribe – take the lead and thrive. I haven’t attended too many shows that make me feel close to the stranger standing beside me, but that was exactly last night’s vibe.
It was a personal performance for the South London native who shared with his audience, a melting pot of family, friends, peers and fans, that he’d pass the venue on the way to his secondary school. The scenes at Brixton Electric yesterday almost felt like a shared celebration (which could very well be the South in me) as I watched Sam champion local and underground talent.
Drafting in the best of his rap class, Sam Wise left the attendees feeling spoiled. Supporting act, Len, was responsible for raising the level of adrenaline in the room for the main man’s arrival and man, was the reception to his drops something to behold!
The stage saw the likes of Free Game collaborators: Jesse James Soloman bring their woozy “Cheque Came” single to life, Camille Munn with a majestic live rendition of the project’s intro and North West’s Knucks pulled up to deliver a joint performance of “F*cked Up”, sending us into a turn-up frenzy.
You already know we can’t get full access to Wise’s complete form without House Of Pharaohs invading the party. The 5-piece energy crew showed up and raised our spirits with a sick display of bangers, brotherly love and infectious stage swag. Wait – there’s more. Amidst the peak of amapiano, artist-producer, Kadiata, was a surprising addition to the show with mid-summer “Wicked” sizzler blaring as he ran out to the headliner on stage.
Of course, we raged deeper into the night with moshpits opening up at the sound of Sam’s calls to let loose – and there wasn’t a still body in my line of sight. How could we resist the euphoria in the air?
Though he was the star of the night, the ‘SYWS’ rapper couldn’t ignore chants to spin “Carousel”, a never-performed cut straight from the Free Game mixtape. The rockstar proved he’s the man with the vibes when he gave the nod to his DJ and gave the people exactly what they asked for!
Many have likened Sam Wise to Lil Wayne in appearance and similar but the one thing these artists both share is the adoration and outpouring of love from their respective fandoms. The one they call Wise had people from all walks of life weaving in and out of each other, basking in his presence and sending electric through Brixton.
Oh – it’s still not ‘clarse’, its class!
Free Game is available to stream on all major platforms.
