Kojaque at Corsica Studios, London, Wednesday 28th November, 2018

Tonight, Corsica Studios in London is full to the brim with a noticeably excited crowd, ready to welcome Dublin’s Kojaque to the stage, all too aware that this is probably the last time they’ll be seeing him in such an intimate setting.

Opening up tonight is Luka Palm, accompanied by Kean Kavanagh, both Soft Boy label-mates and collaborators of Kojaque. Palm is no stranger to tonight’s crowd, having also featured on the recent Date Night track and video with Kojaque. Winning the crowd over with his explanation that he’s all about his “cute boy shit” (a reference to their label Soft Boy Records), his performance feels too short as it ends just as he seems to become totally coming in to his own on stage.

Now for the main event, as Kojaque confidently takes to the stage. As his lyrics ring through the venue, one thing becomes immediately clear: this artist is producing pure, modern-day poetry. He performs with passion and clear conviction from the outset. With live saxophone from Oisin Murtagh (Booka Brass) adding an extra little touch to the show – we’re witnessing an extremely polished performance.

With the aggression of songs like Politicksis, Kojaque never misses a beat, managing to properly convey the message and tone succinctly and seemingly effortlessly.

Love And Braggadocio also shines as the crowd screams back each rhyme to the singer: “Cause this the Emerald Isle’s answer to ‘The Chronic’.”

Although many of his lyrics are heavy-hitting and discuss important topics such as class and politics, the mood is kept light with the performers’ on-stage antics and individual humours clearly on show. Casually talking to the crowd and interacting with each other, there is plenty of personality in the performance.

Furthermore, with the likes of Eviction Notice, which sees Kavanagh taking centre stage on vocals, providing welcome variance and ‘softer’ moments to this performance, the show is balanced in its dynamism throughout.

With a capacity to exude confidence as well as a humble appreciation on show, the performance is consistently both charming and impressive.

Watch this space – big things lay ahead.