Live At Kirkstall Abbey in Leeds has been a triumphant series of shows across the summer. As we moved into August, this year’s edition was brought to a high class climax as Loyle Carner brought his hopefully! tour to this most historic of venues.
With the stage nestled between the river and the ruins of the 12th Century Cistercian monastery, it’s already an inspiring scene before one of the UKs most erudite hip-hop voices hits the stage.
The whole day is filled with class acts. Brick Nasty kicked things off, before the irresistible flow of Kofi Sone took us into the early evening. The infectious groove of jazz-afrobeat fusion elevated things further as Kokoroko gave a stunning performance. A joyous journey through their influences and original pieces showcased the tightest of bands, with outstanding virtuoso solos.
New Zealander Jordan Rakei brought a cool, classy set, alternating between guitar and piano. His brand of soulful R&B was the perfect tonic as the sun set, casting a golden light across the crowd, gathered on the grass in front of him.
Loyle Carner is not only a gifted and poetic lyricist, but also an electric performer who connects instantly with the crowd.His band takes their places, then the roar goes up as Carner emerges alongside them.
The set explores hits from his latest album – hopefully! – as well as some more familiar tunes from Not Waving But Drowning and hugo. Carner stalks, bounces, dances around the front of the stage delivering with polish and passion. He creates a positive atmosphere driven in no small part by his own evident appreciation of being on a stage in front of thousands of people. There’s a sense that, however good the crowd feel he is, Carner is still pinching himself that he gets to do this as a job! It makes him feel real, accessible and adds a further authenticity to his work.
Carner never misses an opportunity to use his platform to try to improve the world around us. Some are more coded – “this is a song called horcrux, cos I like Harry Potter, but I don’t like J.K. Rowling, OK?” – while some are clearly and comprehensibly articulated. Introducing Lyin’, Carner talks about the impact of toxic masculinity and his determination to educate his son on how to deal with this. He is already proud of the “emotional intelligence” that his 5-year old already displays. It’s a speech I’ve heard him give before, a couple of years ago in Halifax, and it still rings true today. More of this is what we need.
Crowd-pleasers Ain’t Nothing Changed, Homerton, Loose Ends all feature before he brings Jordan Rakei back to the stage to reprise his collab on the brilliant Ottolenghi.
With the sun setting and the abbey lit beautifully, the crowd ebbed away towards Leeds to enjoy the rest of the balmy evening, chilled and fulfilled from a blissful day of top quality music.
