Platinum-selling, BRIT-nominated Manchester rapper Aitch has been on the road since early October, spreading his love across the UK on his Close To Home headline tour. Consisting of 16 shows, Aitch has sold out every single venue which is a feat in itself, proof that this guy is no one hit wonder.
The tour has taken him to some legendary venues including London’s Alexandra Palace and culminates at the O2 Victoria Warehouse in Manchester where he’ll be showcasing his electrifying rhymes to anyone fortunate enough to have a ticket.
His debut album Close To Home, released over the summer, captures a young artist on the verge of global superstardom, spreading his wings and displaying his ever-growing songwriting skills. Close To Home combines a mature and reflective side with the charisma and cocksure swagger he has become known for. Aitch, recently anointed as a Forbes Magazine ‘30 Under 30’ name to watch, has recruited an excitingly diverse roster of collaborations for the record.
We were invited along to catch him in action at Bristol’s O2 Academy where the excitement levels were at fever pitch from the get go.
Queues had formed around the block ahead of opening time and once inside the venue, it was clear that this was going to be one hell of a show, the place was RAMMED and I mean REALLY RAMMED, there was little space to move around the place, let alone decide on the best vantage point to enjoy the show from.
A DJ was spinning some household tunes that the eager crowd were lapping up and singing back at him twice as loud as the PA belted them out which was a joy to see. Midway through his set, he was joined by a Mancunaian rapper (I forget his name) but he delivered an engaging set and managed to showcase his brand new track that had recently been released.
At 8pm on the dot, Aitch took to the stage to an almost Beatles-esque screaming contest, thankfully, my earplugs were firmly in place so I managed to avoid having to take shelter whilst the barrage of noise hit the stage!
Aitch used his time on stage to run through material from his debut album as well as the classics that he is renowned for, the tracks he has collaborated on in the past were embellished further with the assistance of his DJ who took to the mic, standing in for the likes of AJ Tracey & D-Block Europe and doing a sterling job may I add.
Standout tracks for me included the opener ‘Taste (Make it Shake)’, ‘Strike a Pose’, ‘UFO’, ‘Buss Down’, ‘Raw’, ‘1989’ and of course ‘Rain’ which all had the engaged audience singing along with Aitch as he leapt about the stage, keeping the crowd entertained for the duration of the show.
Towards the end of his set, he stopped midway through a track to allow security to recover a fan from the crowd who was clearly overcome with heat and excitement, she was lifted to safely and taken backstage to recover, this was a truly great thing to see and proof that Aitch has his fan’s interests at heart.
The night would not be complete with a few pairs of female panties being launched at the rapper, I think I counted 3 pairs heading his way, unsure if they were clean or not but either way, he found this very amusing and thanked the now ‘commando’ female for doing so before continuing.
After 90 minutes of a non-stop, rib-rattling bass and high octane entertainment, Aitch removed his T-Shirt, threw it into the audience and left the stage to rapturous applause.
White rappers are very much the minority in any genre these days and seeing as Marshall Mathers (aka Eminem) has just reached his half-century landmark, it’s time a successor was found. Ladies and Gentlemen, I think we’ve found him!
Close to Home is available on all formats and via streaming services now, go take a listen, you can thank me later.
Words and Pictures by Steve Muscutt