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20 Nov 2018 1:56 PM
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For those of you who were unable to attend, or for various reasons were not physically present at Yxng Bane’s headline show in London, begin by imagining yourself in a SOLD OUT, 02 Kentish Town Forum. 

Friday, November 16th, 2018 was nothing short of a movie and an actual account to 2,300 eyewitnesses on how far UK urban culture and music has come. 

The aroma of teenage spirit predominantly perfumed the venue, whilst still maintaining a strong sense of togetherness with a collective of generations, faiths, and cultures in unity under one roof to see the musical powerhouse that is Yxng Bane

Admittedly before setting foot into Kentish Town Forum, for no reason in particular, I had only ever listened to two songs by the artist, those being ‘Gucci Mane’ and ‘Froze’. I can now confirm I am a fully fledged fan of Yxng Bane and his workmanship after experiencing the consistent flow of high-frequency energy exhibited at his London headline show, along with having songs both past and present from ‘HBK’ currently on repeat.

With the show not only being an opportunity to become lost in reminiscent sounds of this talented artist, but it also proved to be a notably memorable and enjoyable evening out. With doors opening at 7 pm, upon arrival there was already a steadily progressive build up in the queue outside which oozed with scantily clad teens, sprinkles of parents and uni students. 

By 8 pm and lasting an hour, the first DJ got the attention of the expanding assembly. Spinning an infusion of time-honored U.K and U.S classics, he managed to feed the hunger of the crowd who were highly anticipating Bane’s arrival. 

As promised and on schedule with the setlist, the venue dimmed its lights displaying the backdrop which illuminated the stage with a spectrum of blue hue tones, abstract imagery of a wolf, and Bane’s iconic signature underlined with the initials ‘HBK’. With the crowd hyped up, Yxng Bane came out serving energy in all directions to the fans who waited in icy weather outside, hungry to see him. Coming out to his intro music and greeting the array of fans in attendance, Bane started the night off on a high with ‘Froze’ which got a wheel up from the DJ due to the resounding screams and howls he faced ahead of him. 

The second track to be performed was ’Shoulda Known Better’ which triggered a reaction from the females in particular, as they sang along and enjoyed denoting the lyrics to the fellow males in the audience. Up next was the melody which is well in the 13 million Youtube views and counting, ’Fine Wine’ featuring Kojo Funds. Next to percolate from the stage was ’Do Better’, which focused purely on Bane’s artistry and lyrical content using only a spotlight and clouds of stage smoke to accompany him. 

After a slow and meaningful performance, bringing on his musical accomplices D Block Europe, the 22-year-old left the stage to be entertained by the pair who brought a kinetic wave and red tinctures when they worked the audience with ‘The Shard’ and ‘Nassty’. With a little help from his friends on which he collaborated on ‘Gucci Mane’ with, Yxng Bane, Dirtbike LB and Young Adz had everyone in the forum singing along to the catching wave, which can only be described as the physical representation of what a good time would look like. Next in line was ‘Diamonds’ featuring K Trap, who came out to embrace the electricity being generated, followed by Bane’s latest release, ’Slip and Slide’, partnered with the video playing on the backdrop. 

Bane would then be seen for the remainder of what was an eventful evening performing high esteemed tracks, ’Shape Of You’, ‘Your Loving’ and ‘Answerphone’ before announcing to the crowd that for the next track (Needed Time), he would be needing a ‘girlfriend’. 

It was at that moment…. there was a replication of what in the animal world would be a male calling to the female, with high-pitched shrieks and cries answering to Bane in the hopes of being brought to the stage. Unluckily for the females towards the back of the forum, their chances of being seen by the artist were slim, making room for North London fan by the name of Anita to be the lucky woman to be chosen by the topless songsmith to come to the stage. At this moment her smile couldn’t get any bigger when she went on to be serenaded throughout the track, and in true heartthrob style, Bane ended her night as one to remember with a peck on the cheek and a thank you for coming on the stage. 

After taming the remainder of the lingering female cries, closing the evening were songs ‘Bestie’ and Rihanna’, subsequent to the aftermath of elated cheers being made for the artist, but just as everyone had geared themselves up to make a header to the door, Yxng Bane came back out on the stage to sign out with one last track, ‘Vroom’. 

I can honestly say I felt a sense of pride to be part of a night that will go down as a showcase to the evolvement and expansion of a scene which was once the underdog in the music industry. 

In a league of his own, Yxng Bane proved why he stands as one of few artists unapologetically himself in image and musical finesse. Mark my words, this was an incredible display of raw talent that can only be described as one to remember.

Check out Yxng Bane's red carpet interview at the 2017 MOBO Awards... 

Author: Rae Mac (@rae_writes)

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