Loyle Carner brings remarkable hugo LP to Manchester’s Victoria Warehouse

Loyle Carner, made an incredible mark on Manchester on Saturday, performing a masterfully curated set of tracks, including poignant cuts from his incisive album, hugo.

The crowd was unlike any other we’d seen for the emcee. Filling up the 3,500 capacity O2 Victoria Warehouse, it truly felt like we were about to see Carner at his summit, especially given the sheer number of people dressed head to toe in hugo merch.

After an impactful performance at All Points East last summer, we were itching for more Wesley Joseph, and were ecstatic to find the rapper was supporting Carner on his tour. Fresh off the back of his newly released GLOW project, a gripping seven track psychedelic excursion, we were excited to see the nocturnal tracks brought to life on stage.

Unfortunately, after winding queues, we missed Thrilla and COLD SUMMER, perhaps the two tracks I had anticipated most from the emcee (but, we did catch electric performance of these at All Points East). We were in time to hear the moody sounds of Hiatus and Ghostin’, though, which definitely made up for our losses. We wish Joseph got a little more time to shine (just like with his contribution to Carner’s new record), but hopefully we’ll get a GLOW tour soon.

Loyle Carner shows are usually big, yet still feel intimate with his comforting delivery, and relatable subject matter. hugo (his dad’s car, and title of his third LP), however, sees Carner tackle subject matter he’s only flirted with before on tracks. Speaking in depth on race, gang culture, fatherhood, and the absence of his own father, it was hard to predict the tone of the evening. We’re so used to knowing what we’re getting from Carner, but his new, impassioned sense of direction had us guessing with anticipation. As the lights dimmed, producer kwes.’s cold punchy keys and clashing drums had the audience on cloud nine, as Carner was about to make his grand entrance.

Marching on to the stage with an unsurpassed level of nonchalant swagger, Carner gives one of his most passionate performances to date – matching the fire lit under him when releasing the single in anticipation for his third record. Full of rage, the unforgiving track sees the emcee spit thought provoking bars in a deep reverby register. The spacey cut is a flawless start for both the album, and any gig.  

Everyone was anticipating this show being great, after hugo received bewilderment from both critics and fans, and whilst Loyle Carner is the poster boy for every uni student with ‘alternative’ taste, this album has definitely been his most universally loved, and meets the quality of potential he showed from his debut record.

Following Hate, was Plastic, a track which initially on first listen felt a little surface level for its commentary on a materialistic society, but on stage the track took on a whole new entity. The instrumentation from the live band blossomed magnificently, taking us through intoxicated soundscapes over the course of the track, whilst sound engineers tinkered with Carner’s microphone, so the pitch of his voice was constantly shifting. The change in production was maybe the most promising aspect of hugo, with Carner teaming up with big names like kwes. (who is behind some of  slowthai’s best tracks), as well as Madlib, Jordan Rakei, and Alfa Mist.

Another fan-favourite was You Don’t Know, from his second LP, Not Waving, But Drowning, which united the crowd of thousands, as they chanted the infectious hook back to Carner. A more exciting track for me, though, was Georgetown, the second single released ahead of hugo. Not only was this a great moment for it’s John Agard poetry, and striking lines like “black like the keys on the piano, white like the keys on the piano”, but Carner announced him and Madlib have a whole hard drive worth of material together, and that maybe more tracks would be coming soon. Seeing the two collide on this track, and Yesterday was really a special moment – one of the most gifted UK rappers and one of the most acclaimed producers of all time is certainly something we should be grateful for.

Polyfilla was a particularly emotive moment, the penultimate track from hugo sees Carner showcase sharp song writing, and his knack for dreamy hooks. A personal favourite, bittersweet line, that Carner has been rapping for some time (from when I saw him in Melkweg, Amsterdam in 2019, up until I caught him last year, at Parklife), made it on to the track – “they even killed the Wolverine, that was the only father figure that I’d seen”. He used to perform this as an unreleased verse for Loose Ends (featuring Jorja Smith), as can be seen here.

Desoleil (Brilliant Corners) was a nice surprise. The gorgeous cut featuring Sampha had me praying for an appearance from the singer who rarely ever comes out of hiding (still waiting painfully for a follow up to 2017’s Process, almost as much as I’m waiting for Frank Ocean’s next LP). It was a touching moment though, one I didn’t expect him to play, and it had the crowd singing as one like an off-key choir. Seeing him perform his feature on Erick the Architect’s Let It Go was also a highlight of the show.

Although it seems like I’ve seen Tom Misch collaborations Angel and Damselfly a hundred times at this point, they were still just as pleasant as the first time I heard them, with Carner riling up the crowd, shouting “you reckon you can sing better than Tom Misch?” before the hook for Angel.

Speed of Plight, an unquestionable highlight from hugo, definitely thrived in a big venue, with standout lines like “nobody does it so I did it by myself, I see my brother’s ashes sitting on my shelf”. The existential track sees Carner venting his frustration, and it definitely resonated with many in the audience. The sound of Alfa Mist’s production glistened on next track Homerton, too, whilst Carner reflects on himself as a father, in the midst of speaking on his own father’s pitfalls.

Maybe the heaviest moment of the night was Blood On My Nikes, a track about gang culture and knife crime in the UK. In a gut-wrenching moment, he even got youth activist and politician Athian Akec on stage, where he recited the same speech from the song, concluding with the line “as knife crime claims more lives within our country, never has so much been lost by so many, because of the indecision of so few”.

After this harrowing moment, Carner took us back to the sounds of Not Waving, But Drowning, with gems like Still, Ice Water, and the tear-jerker Loose Ends ­– which was a particularly noteworthy performance. Following this brief detour, we were treated to classic Ain’t Nothing Changed, from Yesterday’s Gone, as infectious as ever, but did pale a little in comparison to previous performances of the song.

The last three song stretch was one of the best parts of the night, with tracks Nobody Knows (Ladas Road), HGU, and Ottolenghi. Nobody Knows’ soulful sample lays the perfect backdrop for Carner’s painful lines like “ayo, you can’t hate the roots of the tree, and not hate the tree, so how can I hate my father, without hating me?”. HGU, much like with its placement on the album, brings things full circle, after opening with the bitterness and resentment of Hate, Carner eventually concludes the LP with forgiveness, which definitely made for a moving, exceptionally executed performance of the album.

As Carner makes peace with his father, and literally plays chess with his wordplay, he sets the evening up for a perfect ending, with Ottolenghi. The crowd-favourite was the ideal, therapeutic curtains close moment, for a rapper who continues to win awards and win over everyone’s hearts.

After seeing the rapper grow into different stages of his career, touring in London, Amsterdam, and Manchester, there doesn’t seem like many rappers more deserving of their success right now. Get tickets for remaining dates here.