Benjamin Coyle-Larner, under the moniker Loyle Carner, dropped undoubtedly one of the hottest releases of 2017 last month in the form of his debut LP, Yesterday’s Gone. An album taking influence from old-school hip hop and to an extent the present grime scene, Loyle Carner’s first offering has gained him unreal notoriety, with his current string of dates, including a show at Southampton’s Engine Rooms, largely selling out.
Taking to the stage in Southampton, in tow was London MCs Benny Mails and MANIK ready to warm the crowd up before the man himself was ready to win us all over with his unique and heartwarming style.
Striding on stage to breakthrough single ‘The Isle Of Arran’, the adoration and vibes streaming through the venue make clear just why Loyle Carner has had such an effect on the younger generation. Speaking truth about the troubles of life, adolescence, and relationships, the set continued with ‘Mean It In The Morning’ and ‘+44’, purely showcasing the zeal of one of the brightest and highly-anticipated artists of the year.
Giving a complete masterclass, ‘The Seamstress (Tooting Masala)’ ran through, with both Loyle Carner and the crowd getting into the swing of things ready for collaborative track ‘Damselfly’s jubilant parade. Barely a chance for Carner to take advantage of the stage set-up resembling a sitting room, the set wound back up again for ‘Stars and Shards’ and ‘Mufasa’ before the tale of a sister that never was in ‘Florence’ grabbed the attention of the crowd.
Ramping things up a notch (again), in dropped debut single ‘Tierney Terrace’, ‘NO CD’, and ‘No Worries’, prior to the biggest hit of the evening, ‘Ain’t Nothing Changed’. Delivering a full-frontal set, Carner really didn’t hold back; in pouring so much passion to his vocals, the South London maestro remains in a whole different ballpark to his peers, and is staying firmly in the right direction.
Rounding off the show by rolling out the album’s zenith, ‘Sun of Jean’, Carner never shied away from displaying the love he has for his family – from holding his late step-father’s football shirt on stage, to the family photos in and amongst the staging, Benjamin Coyle-Larner is, as even his mum says, “a complete joy”.
With the family members and friends all slipping away from the Yesterday’s Gone backdrop and Jean Coyle-Larner’s spiel about her son’s childhood (caught in the last moments of ‘Sun of Jean‘), and grand finale to his debut album, ‘Yesterday’s Gone’, ringing through the venue, Loyle Carner stepped off stage to unreal applause. Continuing to lay his path to success, Loyle Carner is surely unstoppable …
Words by Jasmin Robinson