LIVE REVIEW: Stormzy’s Heavy Is The Head Tour

After at the last minute, landing a ticket to see Stormzy on his fourth Heavy Is The Head tour date in Sheffield, I didn’t know what to expect from the concert. Most fans have been waiting two and a half years for this tour to begin, and I found out a couple of days in advance that I’d be going. Although I like Stormzy’s music, by no means do I know the lyrics to all the songs – but I embraced the experience with open arms.

Upon arrival, my boyfriend and I got a super pint and waited in the standing zone for the show to begin – it would’ve been rude not to, right? We had no idea how long we’d be waiting and who the supporting act was. With an hour and a half to go before the show began at 9pm, Rachael Anson graced the stage with her hypeman. And little did we know, she was Stormzy’s sister – that’s why you hear her name pop up in a lot of his songs.

Her DJ set was amazing – exactly what the crowd needed before it was Stormzy’s time. Song after song was a hit, and I was so pleased to be standing and able to dance to the absolute classics that were played. Everyone around us was in such good spirits, as you’d expect after waiting such a long time for this concert to finally come around. I thoroughly enjoyed Rachael’s set and would even go to watch her on her own if the opportunity arose.

9pm arrived, and the energy was off the scale. Stormzy made a strong entrance on a platform near the ceiling that slowly made its way to the stage. The stage was T-shaped, and it reached out into the crowd – which meant those of us in the standing area were able to get very close, and the pictures 100 per cent do it justice.

He performed a mixture of songs from around five years ago and a lot of his recent and most popular tracks. Among my favourites were Clash, Vossi Bop, and Shut Up. One thing I couldn’t fault was how Stormzy managed to keep the crowd’s energy up the whole time. He consistently moved back and forth on the stage, making sure to engage and address every part of the arena.

Besides his amazing performance, you could tell how much of a humble person he is – he thanked the audience several times for sticking with him throughout the pandemic and for continuing to support him. Of course, every artist is obliged to thank everyone for being there, but his sincerity was undeniable. He even came into the crowd to meet and take pictures with fans after the concert was over.

It was a night to remember.

Despite going into the concert thinking Stormzy wouldn’t be my first choice of artist to go and see live, I would take the opportunity to go again – and I’ll be trying to get tickets for his next tour after his new album comes out.

Edited by Jemma Snowdon