Live

Headie One: O2 Academy, Birmingham 18/11/21

With more time stuck at home and no live music, I've spent more time on Spotify in the last year-and-a-half than ever. With so much new music coming out in that time, the fact that Headie One's "Edna" was one of the albums I kept returning to is a testament to its quality.

COVID ensured that the originally-scheduled tour last year had to be postponed, and it must have been a huge relief for the 27-year-old to finally get back on the road.

The O2 Academy in Birmingham made a refreshingly intimate venue to be able to see him - days later he would take centre stage at Wembley Arena in his London homecoming.

Lyrically Headie delivers a combination of world-weary tales of the streets and party bangers and performed a compelling mix onstage in Birmingham. "Teach Me" was delivered with passion, while the instantly recognisable bars of "Know Better" had the audience jumping around.

"Siberia" and "Ain't It Different", two of the outstanding tracks to be released by UK artists since the onset of the pandemic, were among the highlights of a set that lasted just over an hour and did not see a drop in energy levels.

With an impressive and growing catalogue under his belt, all eyes will be on the North London rapper to see what he does next.

PHOTOS: DAVE BURKE
Words Dave Burke