mustbejohn: Live in London

It’s Friday night in London. The cold streak has finally broken, and Colours in Hoxton is putting on a mustbejohn gig. Say less. On May 27th, the popular Shoreditch spot lent its stage to a keen line-up of DJs and artists supporting its much-anticipated headliner mustbejohn. 

Always sharp on the pulse of his niche, mustbejohn put on a stellar performance that offered a generous set of British-based talent. Known for his heavy house and garage influences, the artist had a solid hand from his peers and collaborators, with DJ David Gotsound aiding a sweet opening mix, producer Tyjay on the decks, and newcomer Cap1talA. 

Gelling through a complimentary and frisky opener from David Gotsound, rapper Cap1talA extended a novel palette cleanser, featuring new tracks from his same-day release, Your Sons are Brighter. Full of energy and in a tight 20 mins, the artist ran through a number of tracks, introducing the crowd to his assorted archive; closing with his Black Britain a thoughtful but easy option from his recent album.

Tucked in the back of the Colours club, I stood anticipating, and unsure of what to expect of our headliner. Coming off the wave of his opening acts, mustbejohn eased into his moment on stage with sureness, gifting us performances of his classics with a setlist that flowed like water. Touching on crowd hits and sharing one or two unreleased goodies, the artist offered groovy and fluid performances of many of his club safe tracks, like Raining Colours and Jenny’s House as well as newer tunes, like New Gen.
mustbejohn definitely knows his audience and is able to hold his own on a stage live with hype men and trim with flashy lights. But unsurprisingly the artist's canny, lackadaisical style flow and bouncy beats make for a great live show and I hope to see you at the next one.