Azealia Banks, supported by DJ Kornél Kovács, visited the popular O2 Institute in Birmingham on the 20th of September to continue her ‘Back to the Union Jack’ tour.
Kornél started the show with an eclectic DJ set, seamlessly moving between hip-hop and house tracks, interspersed with the odd disco inspired tune and garage-tinged banger. With his support slot initially intended to be around an hour, Kornél admirably extended his time on stage to fill space caused by a delay to Ms Banks’ main act, keeping the assembled masses prepped for some top quality music to come.
Those masses were generally in high spirits, with groups of friends, university students, dedicated fans and music lovers alike all ready for a great night out, however some of the excited anticipation did turn to frustration as we moved further from Azealias expected start time.
However, once Azealia arrived, the crowds frustrations were swiftly put to one side as she powered through fan favourites and chart toppers to push the energy in the room through the roof! Within her hour on the O2 stage, she performed plenty of her hits, from “New Bottega”, and “Luxury”, to “The Big Beat”, and “BBD:, and as some may have expected, triumphantly rounding things out with international sensation “212”.
This final track of the night pushed the Birmingham audience to chaotic levels of enjoyment, hundreds of phones thrust into the air to record the moment whilst simultaneously attempting to dance like no one, and everyone, was watching.
This was a highlight of an evening where the music and vibe was the main focus. No backup singers, no big screen with high-tech visuals, nor complicated choreography. Azealia just took her spot centre-stage, fed off the audiences energy and moved through her back catalogue…much to everyones pleasure.
For me, my personal favourite moment and track aligned… “212” is a song many of us know and love, and it just hit right within the walls of the Institute. Overall I would recommend trying to catch Azealia if you can, quality music is definitely on offer… just maybe take the schedule with a pinch of salt.
Words + photography by Andrew Roast
