Live Report: Tyler, The Creator – Brixton Academy, London

An exceptional colour-strewn return from the one they call 'Igor'...

Dawning his now iconic Igor suit (this time in a yellow colour scheme), Tyler, The Creator walks gracefully onto the stage followed by a single spotlight.

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‘Igor’s Theme’ commences and he’s at a standstill whilst the crowd is frantic, ecstatic and hysterical that Tyler has finally returned for his first UK performance in four years. He recognises this after the first song and salutes his lawyers whilst the crowd simultaneously chants ‘fuck Theresa May’. He cheekily laughs "two more nights of this, wow…"

Staring into the souls of those who have longed endlessly for his return, he turns around and begins a piano solo. The audience immediately recognises the melody and begins to sing along to Tyler’s most popular track right now ‘Earfquake’.

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With his biggest production set at a London show to date, the screen visuals emulated his music videos and other images only accessible in Tyler’s mind. Along with pyrotechnics and a suspended stage, the setup reiterated that Tyler has become a much larger figure in music in his absence from the UK, that it allowed him to return to provide higher quality concerts. However, the intimacy of his previous UK concerts was noticeably removed.

Acknowledging that he wasn’t allowed to tour his previous album ‘Flower Boy’, Tyler courteously performed tracks including ‘911’, ‘Boredom’ and ‘Who Dat Boy’. He even managed to take it back for early fans and performed his breakout hit ‘Yonkers’ as well as the controversial ‘She’.

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Ending the night with ‘Are We Still Friends’, standing under a surge of rainbow lights reminiscent of the era this album was inspired by, Tyler’s bold return to London was nothing short of exceptional.

Leaving fans content and satisfied about his comeback, Brixton Academy prepares itself for another two nights dominated by the presence of the one they call ‘Igor’. 

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Words: Debbie Ijaduola
Photography: Chloe Newman

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