When I arrived at Styles Leeds to see Pa Salieu, I didn’t expect the first thing to hear from the rattling sound system to be Vanessa Carlton’s ‘A Thousand Miles’. I was expecting the rough, intimidating vocals of Backroad Gee, instead Pa’s crew laughed about on stage and had the audience fully engaged. Of course, after a minute or so the DJ transitioned it into the Spinabenz track that samples the noughties tune, ‘Who I Smoke’, and the crowd erupted once again, before switching it up one more time for Junior Senior’s classic ‘Move Your Feet’. It was certainly an unexpected and entertaining opening set, and I definitely regretted leaving for a cigarette when ‘Off The Grid’ and ‘iwokeuplikethis’ played. 

More importantly, at 9pm it was time for Pa Salieu to grace the stage. He had already delivered an absolutely incredible set at Parklife, so I was anticipating this show just as much. One noticeable difference was that he brought a live band with him, definitely a nice change of pace for an upcoming rapper. A DJ would definitely have sufficed, but that’s what separates Pa Salieu from so many newcomers – he’s not just another in the sea of British autocrooners, his unique blend of UK Hip Hop, Trap, and Afrobeats creates an atmosphere like no other, that is taken to new levels in a packed venue. The live band brought all of this to life even further, as did Pa’s confrontational, in your face delivery and quickfire bars which are so endlessly quotable. 

He began the set with ‘Lit’ a track off of his new EP, ‘Afrikan Rebel’. It’s already a heavy song but hearing it with live drums and electric guitar made it even more intense. Shortly after he dove into ‘Send Them To Coventry’ gems like ‘Block Boy’, ‘Betty’, and of course ‘Informa’ – M1llionz wasn’t even there but the crowd rapped every word to his verse without hesitation. 

He had plenty of time for his new radio friendly bangers ‘Gliding’ with Slowthai, and ‘Bad’ featuring Aitch. They certainly showed the star potential Pa has, whilst he retained his gritty inflections and fiery energy on stage.

A nice cool-down was the Mahalia featuring cut ‘Energy’, a much slower track which allowed everyone to catch their breath before the insanity that was ‘My Family’. As soon as you heard the opening notes, everyone went wild, the DJ had to run it back a few times whilst his crew got everyone as rowdy as possible. It was the highlight of the show and the perfect closer to an intensely lively evening. 

Stop sleeping on Pa Salieu, and make sure you catch him at his next show.