Stonebwoy, the stellar Afro-Dancehall artist hailing from Ghana, kickstarted his UK tour of the ‘Anloga Junction’ album on the 21st of November at the O2 Academy Islington – and it was a show that was not to be missed. Considering this was my first Ghanaian music concert, I was more than expectant and I can say I wasn’t disappointed.
Whilst everyone was waiting for the ultimate moment in which Stonebwoy would grace the stage, the pre-party vibes were through the roof. Considering the UK had faced three national lockdowns between March 2020 and March 2021, it’s no surprise that people were ready to shake a leg. Coupled with supporting acts such as DJ Neptune and GHB2B, who reloaded the bangers of old and new from Ghana and across the African continent, the scene was set for Stonebwoy to grace the stage and bless his fans with his extensive catalogue of hits.
It was almost like a homecoming for Stonebwoy as he slowly emerged into the centre of the stage whilst soulfully performing the smash hit “Tomorrow”, a song that talks about today’s struggles whilst hoping for a better tomorrow. He did remind the crowd that life is really a journey as he performed “Journey”, my personal favourite song off the ‘Anloga Junction’ album.
The deep and reflective vibes ended there as Stonebwoy entered a groove and became more upbeat. This meant that songs such as the evergreen “Higher”, “Baafira” and “Pull Up” were performed with immense energy to the extent that you could feel the ground shaking beneath you!
It wasn’t long until Stonebwoy was joined by his special guests. First was Ghana’s own Article Wan who performed his breakthrough hit “Solo”, which actually means “different” in the Ga language. Nigeria’s very own DJ Cuppy followed up as Stonebwoy and herself performed their 2020 single “Karma”.
Alicai Harley brought a sprinkle of Jamaican flavour to the show as she and Stonebwoy performed “Understand”, a mix of bashment and afrobeats music. Nana Rogues, a British-Ghanaian artist and producer ensured the crowd not to stress as they performed their single “Don’t Stress”. Rising star Wauve also made an appearance as he represented Ethiopia through “Pamela”, a song heavy on strings and punchy kicks.
Stonebwoy continued to wow the crowd as performed more hit songs and put his dance moves on display. He also became more intimate with his fans as he jumped off the stage and shook the hands of many. It was a historical moment as this was his first headline tour in the UK in an almost 10-year professional career and it was fully sold out too. He has given hope to Ghanaian artists to expand their reach across borders and hopefully he’ll be back again bigger and better!
perspective of j.k.l. 