Music Critic Hannah Joint previews Aitch’s UK and Ireland tour, which sees him touring in support of his long awaited debut album, ‘Close to Home’
Aitch is an artist whose music reflects a self-assured confidence and charm which will no doubt make for a great show.
Manchester born, youth culture icon Aitch is set to take O2 Academy Birmingham by storm this coming Monday as he continues a UK and Ireland Tour in support of his debut studio album, Close to Home. The album was released on August 19th of this year, and following international success with his trio of Extended Plays and Top 10 singles which have earned him numerous accolades, there is no sign of him slowing down anytime soon. Renowned for his proud Mancunian heritage, which is a recurring theme throughout his discography, Aitch is an artist whose music reflects a self-assured confidence and charm which will no doubt make for a great show.
Undeniably a prominent face of the current UK Rap scene, Aitch is unafraid to pay homage to the tunes that shaped the path he now walks, sampling Mancunian rock band, The Stone Roses’ ‘Fools Gold’ on the third track of his new album, 1989. Under an Instagram post in the run up to his album release, Aitch dedicated the single to ‘my old school Manchester heads! And the people who wish they were born earlier to experience it all.’ Further, Aitch collaborated with American singer Ashanti on the lead single of his Close to Home album, ‘Baby’, heavily sampling the latter’s 2003 tune, ‘Rock wit U (Awww Baby)’, once again making himself known across the pond.
It will be interesting to see how this vulnerability comes across on the stage in contrast to his other energetic and more lighthearted tracks.
As playfully quick-witted and enthusiastic as the majority of Aitch’s lyricism is, there is one particular song on the new album which tugs on the heartstrings. Dedicated to his little sister, Gracie, who he calls ‘G’, ‘My G’ is an anomaly in Aitch’s work; it gives an insight into a more personal element of the rapper’s life, documenting the relationship he has with his family. He told GQ that he was told “to rap about something that means something and the only thing that means something is my family”.
It will be interesting to see how this vulnerability comes across on the stage in contrast to his other energetic and more lighthearted tracks. Having kicked off the tour in Dublin on October 3rd, Aitch is set to perform in Birmingham on Monday 17th after selling out the venue, before closing the Close to Home tour with two nights in his hometown.
Aitch will play Birmingham O2 Academy on the 17th of October
Enjoyed this? You might also enjoy:
Comments