Blue Lab Beats
@ Freight Brixton
Recipes Used:
After seeing Blue Lab Beats live for the first time as a Photographer back in 2022 said to myself "this would be a live act I would like to see again.".
And boy have I been doing that. I saw them again in 2024 as part of The 50 Pack, (shouts to Saxophonist Kaidi Akinnibi who is on the front cover of that, we'll see him later.) then the next year to celebrate another album release @ Ninety One Living Room.
And now we're here for yet another album release show and it also serves as their 10th anniversary as a duo. AND the album in question is their first as independent artist(s).
No wonder Freight Brixton – a rooftop (one staircase up, but a rooftop nevertheless) bar that has just recently opened – wanted Blue Lab Beats to be their first live act at that venue.
A special night in many ways. It was a joy to experience.
Let's begin in earnest with the support act. A Rapducer who makes it known from his name alone: Denzel Himself.
We begin with the monochrome set in which I used the Ilford XP2 Super 400 recipe. (Which you can see up top.)
Next is the colour set in which I have replaced my long-used Fujichrome Sensia 100 recipe with the Classic Kodak recipe! Thought I'd switch things up a bit.
And now for Blue Lab Beats and their cavalcade of artists they featured over a 90 minute set! It went so long that I ran out of shots. It was my first shoot since Common Saints and I got trigger happy, allow me.
The only artist that featured and didn't get a shot of was Essosa so apologies to her.
Let's begin with the more core presences:
Bass: Ezekiel Ajie
Drums: Benji Appiah
Trumpet: Jackson Mathod
Saxophone: Kaidi Akinnibi
Highlighting a few guest performances:
Bass: Isobella Burnham (Who you may remember from her performance @ Jazz Re:Fest!)
Guitar: Amal Shaham
And now for some of the vocalists that came and went as the performance went on.
Orla Rae (Who I admittedly overshot. She was on stage pretty often.)
Farah Audhali
Denzel Himself
Fournine
And now for the duo:
This, is NK-OK
This, is Mr. DM
I hope that looks better on mobile than it does on my desktop…
We’ll begin with a quick monochrome set.
And to finish of, a more substantial colour set.
I’m a little miffed that I was so trigger happy for such a long show. Hindsight is 20/20 of course but I missed out on the big balloons, the duo coming through the crowd whilst playing a Congolese version of “Pineapple”.
They genuinely have one of the best live shows pound-for-pound. Their live versions of their music are just as, if not better than the studio versions and that’s all you can ask from an artist.
Can’t wait to see them next year! (I’m assuming.)
Charlie Taylor
chillicharlie.taylor@gmail.com
Born in Camden, North London.
Bred in Leigh-On-Sea, Essex.
Screenwriter/Podcaster/Photographer/
Hip-Hop Student.