Bringing 0161 to Nottingham’s Rock City, Aitch gave a performance filled with charisma, earnestness and energy. Izzy Morris reviews.
The moment I heard that Aitch was taking a trip down to Notts, I knew immediately who needed to come with me; my Mum, the biggest Aitch fan that I know. I had every faith that she’d have an excellent night under the rapper’s care, and I was certainly not wrong. As soon as she stepped foot in the venue she was ready to order a Grey Goose and tonic (inspired by some of Aitch’s lyrics) and very soon after wandered over to the merch stand. Even though she’s not typically an avid gig goer, she herself remarked that the crowd had an a really welcoming and fun atmosphere, feeling completely included in the night’s events. So included and so welcomed, in fact, that she almost seemed tempted into a nearby mosh pit. She had an absolutely wonderful time and felt completely at home in his audience, despite falling out of the average age demographic. This actually really surprised me, and I’m slightly slapping myself on the wrist for being perhaps overly judgemental and apprehensive of what the crowd would be like. She was right; there definitely was a welcoming atmosphere, and where I’d thought potentially it would be seen as a bit of a joke that I’d ‘brought my mum along’, the vibe of the night was so filled with life and positivity that there was just no room for judgemental teenagers. Instead the smell of Elf-bar infused sweat and excitement filled the jam-packed room as the opening DJs got the crowd singing and dancing along to some of their favourite hits.
Starting off with fan favourite hit, Taste It (Make It Shake) the room instantly burst into life, truly making the room shake. Aitch's presence as a performer instantly became apparent, with a swarm of mobile phones immediately rising into the air, desperate to capture his every move. His confidence and swagger on stage captured the audience in an energetic trance, maintained for the entirety of his incredible set.
The night successfully confirmed to the audience all the things they knew to be true about Aitch; while he’s a man at home in the spotlight, he’s still the person he’s always been. He’s cheeky, he’s charming but he still retains an air of humility and relatability that keeps him very much still human. The light and shade of both Aitch and Harrison helped to foster that positive atmosphere, with funny anecdotes from home sprinkled in. For example, to accompany the track In Disguise, Aitch told us about a girl who pretended not to know him on a night out when he was showing interest in her.
His set list covered both new and old tracks from his already impressive catalogue of hits. Tracks like Keisha & Becky, Buss Down and Baby sent electric waves through the building, inspiring best friends to scream the words to each other, circle pits to form, and my mother to jump along to her favourite hits.
"His confidence and swagger on stage captured the audience in an energetic trance, maintained for the entirety of his incredible set."
While a large portion of the night was spent in rousing movement, perhaps my favourite performance was of Close To Home; the tour namesake pre-encore finale of the set. Aitch champions his Mancunian roots throughout his album, but before the track started, he encouraged the audience to share those same hometown sentiments with the great city of Nottingham. He understands that his experiences of growing up working class are universal for a lot of his audience members, and that love he has for his family and for his home was entirely felt by the crowd. Fan-favourite My G had a similar sentimental feel to it, with the screen behind him revealing pictures of his young sister – the
inspiration behind the song.
Rock City absolutely felt the love and the burst of energy from the young performer, already proving to be a force to be reckoned with both online and on the stage. It’s easy to understand why there’s so much hype for Harrison Armstrong.
Izzy Morris
Edited by: Jodie Averis
Cover image courtesy of Daily Feed. Article image courtesy of Max Harries.
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