If Stormzy’s career was a feel-good film, we’d have plenty of choices for euphoric, against-all-odds endings. His 2019 Glastonbury headline set silenced critics who felt he didn’t have enough material, or that he was too black, or that grime was too “dangerous” (black) for Glastonbury, for example. Last night at the O2 provided a further option: his triumphant, long-delayed first time as a headliner at London’s iconic arena.
He emerged from an industrial lift, high-kicking his way through “Big Mike” like a ripped daddy longlegs. His arms are so defined he looked like Action Man, his limbs so long and motions so exaggerated it was almost as though he was on strings.
But amid all this kinetic energy it became clear that no one stands still like Stormzy: when he paused after the line “You was fighting with your girl when I was fighting my depression, wait” the entire arena seemed to hold its breath. It takes a brave man to, in the same song (“First Things”), stand alone in front of a giant backdrop reading “DICK” but Stormzy is not a man who minds a bit of silliness. As he mopped up the applause for the first time, his hand was on his heart and a goofy little smile spread over his face. “London, I’m home! Fucking hell, man.”
A giant crown hovered over the stage throughout, sometimes lowering down to create a cage of light around the man, a thoughtful visual representation of the pressure on him. Flourishes like these bolstered his undeniably gigantic stage presence: after 60 minutes you do need a little something to zhuzh things up, visually speaking.
Though it was a fiery set, there were moments of real tenderness sandwiched into it. “Do Better” was emotional, a plea for our mutual self-improvement from a man whose goodness shines through even when he’s telling you to shut up and fuck off. During “Rachael’s Little Brother”, the backdrop was flooded with still, black and white images of Stormzy and his sister, inviting you to notice the things that make them the same and the things that make them different. As Sunday was Mother’s Day, he also paid a sweet tribute to his own mum, Abigail Owuo, drawing audible “awwws” from the audience.
The final act cemented the show as one that will be impossible to forget: the release after the slow middle section, and the sheer mania of the crowd when Dave emerged to perform “Crash” with his friend.
“Have we still got energy?” Stormzy kept asking the crowd, bucket hats and heart-shaped sunnies scooped out of the sea of people and promptly donned.
After 90 minutes on a Sunday night, it’s hard to believe, but the answer was a resounding yes.
