Kate Tempest

Following last year’s Mercury nomination for her ‘Everybody Down’ album, the hard-grafting South London poet, rapper and playwright Kate Tempest has seen audiences for her music swell, but she was still intent on establishing a connection with each individual soul here tonight. Snapshots of life and its characters, details illuminated with a master storyteller’s flame, were joined by powerful polemics that brought a rare, bracing sense of political and emotional engagement. The drum- and synth-heavy musical backdrop whipped up a compelling atmosphere initially but proved hit-and-miss, the more pumped-up, ravey beats becoming a slightly jarring distraction from Tempest’s sublime wordplay and unique delivery.

Concorde 2, 10 February 2015
3.5 stars
Rosie James