After announcing their indefinite hiatus back in February, self-proclaimed ‘Best boyband since One Direction’ BROCKHAMPTON pledged to host their 4 final shows in the most grandiose of locations; 2 dates at London’s Brixton Academy, and a final pair of dates at Coachella Festival. A few days ago (February 8th), the group completed the 2nd of their final UK dates with a set consisting of an almost chronological history of the group’s banger filled discography. While both nights ran through almost identical songs, both evenings came with their own special surprises.
— BROCKHAMPTON (@brckhmptn) January 14, 2022
Arguably the best of their most recent ‘BUZZCUT’ kicked off the group’s victory lap. Unconfirmed group leader Kevin Abstract bounces onto the stage with enough energy to take on the whole venue himself, this backed up by a performance that has the rare title of being able to out-rap Danny Brown sets the tone for what will eventually become an energy heavy night. As Joba, Matt, Merlyn, Dom, Bearface and the rest of the ensemble arrive no single member of the audience stayed in their seats. Once the first track comes to a close, the BROCKHAMPTON history lesson kicks in, tracks from the SATURATION trilogy, followed by a couple from IRIDESCENCE. Just as the crowd start to get used to the bombardment of hype, none other than Slowthai joined the stage for a take on their joint effort ‘HEAVEN BELONGS TO YOU’. The song comes to a close and the band proceed to give Slowthai centre stage as the backing track for his own track ‘Doorman’ comes blaring through the PA. The boisterous combination however could only go on for so long. Once the Northampton rapper left the stage a few more tracks brought everyone back to the point of the evening before closing with a particularly delicate rendition of ‘SUMMER’. See some fan footage of Slowthai joining the band below.
While the second date followed most of the same beats as the first, many may have been disappointed by a stark lack of an appearance from Slowthai… maybe he was busy, or maybe we have something else to look forward to. But in this case, the secret was just that of a few (possible more niche) album tracks like SEX found their way into the set. SUMMER comes and goes as the band make their way from the stage… but the lights stay down… is more coming? How could they come back to the UK for 2 final shows and not end with BOOGIE. Since its discovery as the opening track of SATURATION III, it’s been a fan favourite. So, what better way to leave them wanting more. Quite fitting for a band that always seems to leave something hanging in the air. Farewell BROCKHAMPTON.
