Fresh off of the US leg of his ‘RAW as Folk’ tour, rapper RAF Saperra headlined the O2 Academy in Leicester to a sold out, excited crowd delivering a high energy evening that hopefully strongly encouraged everyone in attendance to be proud of their heritage.
Starting the evening was RAF’s DJ who warmed the crowd up by playing a mix of Punjabi songs mixed expertly with both American and British rap, over the top of some old school hip-hop beats whilst delivering shout-outs and updating the football fans of the latest scores.
All of this culminated in the crowd getting pumped and ready for RAF to storm the stage, and he sure didn’t disappoint. RAF came bouncing onto the stage and right from the off the crowd and RAF were bouncing to the rapped Punjabi folk tales layered over big room beats which to me was reminiscent of pioneering hip-hop artists of the late 80s and early 90s.
Starting solo on the stage, it wasn’t long before RAF was joined by authentically and beautifully dressed backing dancers to join him performing bhangra dance moves throughout his set at regular intervals, which only added to the stellar atmosphere.
Between every few songs RAF took the time to talk to proudly chat with the crowd in the language of his ancestors, speaking in English for the few only English speakers in the crowd, something I was thankful for but wholly wasn’t expecting. During these speeches RAF spoke proudly about his own heritage as well as the origins of the songs and tales he had injected with his own passion.
To really cement how proud he is of his heritage, as well as the backup dancers performing Banghra he brought out one of his entourage with a Dhol, performing the thumbing drum beats live on stage. Coupled with RAFs man behind the desk who was creating the music live and it created an excellent and lively atmosphere.
I found this to be one of the best gigs I’ve been to this year, as I’ve rarely experienced the sheer joy and celebration of an artist’s heritage. Considering I enjoyed the evening so much I can only imagine the joy that the crowd had in seeing one of their musical icons celebrating both British and Punjabi culture, something which I sincerely hope encourages more attendees to do.
To top the night off, RAF came out to meet and pose for selfies with some of his most adoring and passionate fans, a few of which were brandishing their 2023 Spotify wrapped crowning him as their top artist. I can only hope that RAF continues to go from strength to strength in his career and I get the opportunity to attend one of his concerts again to partake in this excellent celebration of culture and heritage.
Words + photography by Sam Huntley
