Live review
Antony Szmierek offers up a dose of euphoria at extra special London KOKO headliner
His performance tonight sees a range of attendees invited up onto the stage itself for what’s a truly unique night.
It’s no secret that London’s KOKO has become the jewel in the crown of many a touring run, and looking around its grand surroundings and ornate details, it’s little surprise as to why. But while most attendees only get to gawp at its levels of grandeur when clambering up the venue’s many staircases, for tonight’s performance by Manchester’s Antony Szmierek, things are a little different.
No stranger to straddling different musical worlds - blending his relatable brand of poetry and spoken word with infectious beats and euphoric rhythms, all while walking a musical tightrope between indie and rap - at his biggest headline in the capital so far, he’s got another boundary-blurring trick up his sleeve. Instead of the traditional artist-audience set up normally reserved for shows like this, his performance tonight sees a range of attendees invited up onto the stage itself, loitering behind a slim area which he and his bandmates cram themselves into, for what feels more akin to a session at Boiler Room than a regular night at the North London institution.
With the crowd firmly warmed up thanks to the brilliant Getdown Services - whose giddy, satirical offerings are impossible not to be won over by - there’s an otherworldly feel that settles across the room by the time Antony et al arrive on stage to the introductory chimes of his debut’s opening track ‘Service Station at the End of the Universe’. The following one-two of ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Fallacy’ and ‘The Great Pyramid of Stockport’ whip up a gorgeous sense of euphoria, while ‘Poems To Dance To’ cut ‘Working Classic’ soars high up towards the venue’s upper levels, via its relatable but reflective verses and warm, twinkling beats.
As ever, Antony is the beating heart of the show; despite a 360° audience, he still manages to stay engaged on an altogether intimate level, all whilst performing in front of his largest crowd yet. Unsurprisingly, the set leans heavily on new album cuts, and when the infectious chorus of ‘Yoga Teacher’, or the thrumming electronic intro of ‘Rafters’ kicks in, it’s truly blissful. Even his choice of cover - a take on Robbie William’s ‘Feel’ - is a pitch perfect move, riding on both the heady emotion of the song and a hefty dose of nostalgia all in one go, before the self-reflective ruminations at the heart of both ‘Crashing Up’ and encore track ‘Restless Leg Syndrome’ provide a weighty but poignant gut-punch towards the end of the set.
And yet still, even at one of the biggest shows of his career thus far, he manages to make it less about him and his bandmates and more about those watching, as - in his signature style - he encourages the room to engage in a fake New Year’s countdown in introduction to his final track. “We’ve had our time. This is for you now,” he says, as the faux bells ring in introduction to his breakout hit ‘The Words to Auld Lang Syne’, for what’s a gorgeous conclusion to a truly unique night.
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