By Eluned Darwin Goss, Second Year Law and French
The night began a calm one, with many of Bristol’s younger generations arriving punctually with excitement for Kofi’s arrival. The quietness of the boat was gradually chipped away by London rapper, Feux who got onstage at 19:30. Having played gigs around the UK and Paris over the last couple of years, he confidently got the crowd going with his variety of chill and upbeat tunes.
His latest album is Max Mantra (named after the artist’s real name), released in 2023 and, like Opal Blues (2022) and Pure Nine (2020), showcases Feux’s ability to compose and perform a mix of serene and high-energy tracks.
A group of Feux fans among the crowd contributed to the rising energy of the venue, hyping everyone up for rest of the night. His song 'Life?' was the most popular, with many singing along, smiles wide.
Feux also engaged the crowd by asking them whether there were any fans of ‘green tea’ – a euphemism to which most of the crowd seemed to answer in the affirmative. This mellow tune set a friendly, relaxed ambiance.
Thekla was packed by the time Kofi Stone appeared at 20:15, which is not an unusual sight as Thekla club-night goers will know. Birmingham-born rapper Kofi Stone can be said to have mastered the delivery of important messages through seemingly light-hearted hip-hop beats.
Opening with 'People', the last song on his new album A Man After God’s Own Heart, the crowd were immersed in the melodic voices of the song’s intro, then brought into a bouncier atmosphere with Kofi’s engaging lyrics 'people are shallow'.
This was followed by 'May Sound Crazy', an upbeat song which whilst on record is relatively chilled, was performed by Kofi with very high energy and really got the crowd going. It was clear that Kofi was getting more into the gig and that he was beginning to enjoy the crowd’s eagerness.
Throughout the evening, Kofi got the crowd involved by getting them to echo lyrics of songs to lead him into them, for example ‘Golden, golden, golden’ from 'These Years are Golden', ‘It’s the King David Flow’ from 'King David Flow'.
This created am ambiance of togetherness, particularly heightened by 'Stories in Pyjamas', a nostalgic oldie which reminded everyone why they love Kofi so much.
'It’s OK to Cry' had the same effect; Kofi engaged and silenced the crowd prior to the song by discussing men’s mental health and the importance of showing emotion. This song is also held in many people’s hearts due to its feature of Loyle Carner, another popular UK rapper.
Kofi has the ability to both excite crowds and make them feel connected to him and to their co-spectators. 'A Mother’s Love' demonstrated this, as he encouraged members of the crowd to text their mothers telling them how much they appreciated them.
It was touching to see so many people moved by Kofi - to the extent that you could hear the sound of messages being ‘sent’ from everyone’s phones. His sincere personality is part of what makes his performance such an easy going watch.
'Made for This and Closer', the former smoothly transitioned into the latter, hyped the crowd back up after the prior emotional moments. Characterised by jazzy undertones, these tracks illustrate Kofi's unique style.
Not a single person in the crowd was stationary at this point. 'Made for This', like 'May Sound Crazy', is more relaxed on record yet live is bursting with energy; it was impossible to refrain from dancing.
Before 'Talk About Us', another fan favourite, Kofi distributed flowers, creating an even more personal ambiance. Kofi was present with the crowd throughout because the stage was intimate and close to the audience, but also because he made an effort to come into it, with fans circling him, dancing with him.
People were genuinely enjoying themselves in harmony. Kofi finished with 'Talk about Us', his post popular song with over 20M streams on Spotify. His encore was arguably more powerful however, with fans begging for old and nostalgic 'Same Old' and 'Dirty Airforces'.
Despite needing to finish due to the time limit, Kofi could not resist: the crowd was too excited and too exciting, so much to the point that he got up on Thekla’s balcony to give one last angle of his unforgettable performance.
Both songs left the night on the perfect note, the crowd both filled with energy as well as sentimentality. Feux and Kofi Stone took fan engagement to the next level, meeting and chatting with many after the gig.
What was predominantly demonstrated throughout the night was that live performance really has the power to change music, and that the crowd plays a large part in deciding the atmosphere. At this gig, these things were all for the best.
Featured Image: Eluned Darwin GossWhat was your favourite song from Kofi's set?
