Kwabs wowed crowds at his Summer Series show at Somerset House on Friday (17.07.15).
The rising star performed for over an hour at the open-air central London venue during his headline slot, singing a selection of tracks from his eagerly-anticipated debut album ‘Love + War’ which is scheduled to be released in September.
The singer/songwriter – whose full name is Kwabena Sarkodee Adjepong – began his set with a flurry of unfamiliar new songs although he soon picked up the pace by bringing out an eclectic string of covers including Arctic Monkeys’ ‘Do I Wanna Know?’, James Blake’s ‘The Wilhelm Scream’ and John Lennon’s ‘Jealous Guy’.
And the broad array of tracks he chose to perform renditions of reflected the variety in his own sound, from the upbeat disco vibes of his latest single ‘Fight For Love’ to the emotional and bluesy track ‘Cheating On Me’ on which his vocals threw back to the soulful sound of Otis Redding.
His set followed warm-up performances from rising stars Zak Abel and ‘Game of Thrones’ actor Raleigh Ritchie – also known as Jacob Anderson – although it was his own ability to put on a great show which drew in audience members, nine months after he performed a sell-out show at Camden venue, Koko.
As well as a selection of his collaborations with producer SOHN including ‘Look Over Your Shoulder’ and ‘Wrong Or Right’ towards the end of his set, the 25-year-old musician – who has recorded vocals for a track on Disclosure’s new album ‘Caracal’ – ended his performance with a jaw-dropping encore.
Returning to the stage to play his hit single ‘Walk’, he brought down the tempo with Perfect Ruin’ to end the show, leaving guests with goosebumps following the emotional ballad.
Belle and Sebastian will perform as part of the Summer Series this evening (18.07.15) with Jessie J ending the string of shows with a sold-out performance on Sunday (19.07.15).
Kwabs wows crowds at London’s Somerset House
