YEAT: EUROLYFE Tour At Birmingham’s O2 Academy
Date: 06th November 2024
Venue: O2 Academy - Birmingham
On a dark and moody Sunday evening on 6th October, American rage rapper Yeat concluded the UK leg of his ‘EUROLYFE’ tour at Birmingham’s O2 Academy.
Upon arrival, whilst walking down to the O2 Academy, the queue still stood all the way up the hill and around the corner as the time closed in on 7.30pm, nearly half an hour after doors opened. This gave me an insight into how packed the venue was going to be for the event and I was told by fans that it was roughly over three-thousand people inside, as I watched the entire show from the balcony.
There was no support act to warm the crowd up on the night but this was clearly not needed as the standing crowd warmed themselves up by opening moshpits, throwing drinks in the air and throwing empty cups to each other, even collectively chanting “YEAT!” regularly, prior to the artist taking to the stage roughly an hour later. All of this passionate activity was happening before 8pm; it was honestly one of the most energetic and memorable crowds I’ve ever witnessed at a concert before. Yeat’s fans certainly raged with him throughout his entire set, as the humidity level soared from the crowd’s constant movement. Taking it all in, I noticed that some of the standing crowd had even come in fancy dress, sporting Power Rangers costumes.
Before Yeat’s presence was known, the stage was set with machines which covered the room with an atmospheric fog. The stage setup was taller than usual due to a gigantic screen which stood from each side of the platform, and later displayed a variety of captivating visuals to accompany each song performed. This type of staging is something I’d never seen before and brought an interesting twist to the show. Along with this screen, there were lights on stage and under the screen, as well as lasers and smoke cannons which synchronised to the beat drops throughout the setlist, making the experience even more memorable for fans. The only downside to these visuals effects is that the intensity of the pyrotechnics and lighting meant that fans were very rarely given a clear glimpse of Yeat, other than through a brief silhouette, particularly from the balcony area. It seems quite a few fans were disappointed by the obscured view, as I heard a few people mention it after the night had concluded and the Californian hip-hop artist vacated the stage.
Inspired by hip-hop icons including T-Pain and Young Thug, 24-year-old Yeat has impressively already collaborated with global artists such as Drake, Future, Lil Wayne and Lil Uzi Vert. The LA-based native’s sound is a bold combination of futuristic beats with distinctive vocals, consisting of auto-tuned chirps and spurts of guttural growls. When performed to a live audience, Yeat’s distinctive catalogue of experimental rap music has the surefire ability to induce a crowd’s wilder side, as I witnessed myself during his final UK show of the tour.
Despite being active in the hip-hop scene for less than a decade, the US rapper, singer-songwriter and producer has unquestionably solidified a name for himself amongst his influences. No wonder his fiery fanbase were in such high spirits on the night as they look forward to new music from the artist very soon, after he ambitiously confirmed earlier in the year, the release of not one but two more albums in 2024.
Review by: Dan Rose
No photo gallery as no photo pass obtained.
