What Went Down at Loyle Carner's Warehouse Project

As anyone who’s attended before will know, a Warehouse Project event rarely ceases to be a special night. There’s something about that capacious hall in the heart of Manchester that captures the mind and soul of an audience, invariably leading to an uproarious celebration of music. It’s a venue that requires a lot of an artist, not just because of its large capacity, but more through its enormous heritage. An artist uniquely capable of this undertaking was last week’s headliner, one of the finest poets in UK music, Loyle Carner. 

Credit: @sophiajcarey

New Wave Magazine were proud partners for this event, and being tasked with rounding up the experience was a real joy. The 4th October shone from my calendar with a luminous glow for months prior, as the line-up contained some of the most incredible artists from the UK rap space. To put it simply, this was not to be missed (very sorry if you didn't make it). The excitement in the air upon arrival was palpable, as 'hugo' merch donning attendees lined the streets outside the Mayfield Depot en masse.

Credit: @harriettkbols

The highlight of the early portion of the evening came courtesy of local heroes Children of Zeus. Tyler Daley and Konny Kon are a rightly revered duo in the space of UK rap, soul and R&B, with their genre-fusing approach particularly gaining support in their hometown of Manchester. Their city embraced them with open arms on Friday, as they provided an excellently composed, soulful set. 

It was seemingly a night of duos, as following the Mancunian-maestro’s, came the boys from Brighton. Rapper-producer two-piece Frankie Stew and Harvey Gunn have gained a huge support base for their emotion-packed, dance-infused brand of UK Rap. On the night, they had the crowd riding with them through their extensive back catalogue of hits, with plenty love being shown for tracks played from their latest album, ‘Do It Yourself’. A pair that seem to keep getting better with time, their ability to craft a memorable album might be matched only by their skill at providing a memorable performance.

Credit: @sophiajcarey

After a short break, the time had come for the main man to take centre stage. With the hood of his grey jumper over his head, he bounded into the light as the intro to ‘Hate’ was performed by his live band; Loyle Carner had well and truly arrived. His third full-length offering, ‘hugo’, arrived back in 2022, and in the time since, he has been performing his tracks to live audiences all around the globe. This summer alone saw a string of festival headline spots, notably on the line up with US rap icon Nas at All Points East. Last Friday's appearance in the metropolis of Manchester was, however, something of a swan song for ‘hugo’. Loyle announced this was his last performance for some time, with the set curated around his latest album being retired.

With every cloud, so goes the saying, and in this case the silver lining was the revelation that his new focus is getting back in the studio to begin work on album number 4. After the performance he gave at WHP, the prospect of a whole new sonic world being created by the south-London wordsmith seems unfathomably exciting. But I suppose we’ll have to be patient, while reminiscing fondly on what we saw in Manchester. 

Loyle tore threw ‘Hate’ with the passion that song deserves, with the addition of a live band elevating it to a whole new level. ‘Ain’t Nothing Changed’ from his first album, 'Yesterday's Gone', was joyous, as was ‘Damselfly’; certified classics. The Loyle Carner x Madlib collaboration, ‘Yesterday’, always marks a high point. Mablib’s bold, bright production blends with Loyle’s smooth vocal tones with blissful ease. ’Nobody Knows’ is a remarkably powerful track, showcasing some of LC’s finest explorative songwriting. I’m unsure whether it was because he knew he wouldn’t be performing it for a long while, but on this night it seemed to be delivered with an added fire, making it a very memorable moment indeed. The crowd were locked in every step of the way, an example being when they knowingly screamed ’Still’, when Loyle announced he was about to play his personal favourite from his discography. It seems the secret’s out on that one, at least amongst the Manchester-based Carner stans.

Credit: @sophiajcarey

As the night drew to an end there was a rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ sung for our performer, who let slip his birthday was around the corner. He seemed touched, and also had an air of someone who would happily have continued performing all evening. But it had to come to an end eventually, and on this night it was with an unusual encore. Where many artists save a hit-song for their return to stage after curtains, Loyle prefers something more intimate. So, to close out the era of ‘hugo’, he gave us an acapella poem, which rang around that reverberant venue with a poignant clarity. Saying “Take these words and go forwards” is how he likes to finish a show, and you know what, I think that crowd will, as they hung off every word he said from the beginning of the night to the end. As they disappeared into a surprisingly warm October night, I think the audience will remember this one, in the way that a special show, at a special venue, can rarely be forgotten.

Credit: @sophiajcarey