Welcome to what Ghetts does best

Ghetts

HERE at Outernet, WC2H

★★★★✩

“THAT’S right, we got sections,” said Ghetts with a grin as he effortlessly switched from hard-hitting grime to piano-led beauty during the first of two homecoming shows at Outernet.

Ghetts has made a career from switching things up. He may not have the same breakout hits as Stormzy or Skepta but the rapper is one of the most influential grime artists around. He helped shape the scene with 2005’s debut mixtape 2000 & Life but recently, he’s been more interested in bending the genre in new directions than leaning on his own impressive legacy.

Ghetts started this year by picking up the Pioneer Award at the 2024 MOBOs. Recently released fourth album On Purpose, With Purpose saw him continue to evolve, with heartfelt reflections on masculinity and playful flexes helping create what he called “substance with a bit of grease”.

Last night, that agile ambition was front and centre of Ghetts’s headline gig. The first chunk of the set saw him perform a number of heavy hitters and more introspective moments from the new album. Despite the tracks being out for less than a month, fans knew every word and sang them with an urgent passion.

Opening track Intro saw Ghetts embrace his position as grime’s elder statesman but he remained determined to keep things interesting with rich vocals and a swaggering flow while the dreamy Double Standards quickly morphed into a tightly wound tirade against racism, hypocrisy and war. A masked four-piece band added a sense of depth to the music, while cinematic visuals had one eye on much bigger venues. An emotionally-charged, strippedback middle section showcased Ghetts’s power as a storyteller and highlighted just how far his audience would follow him before the afrobeats-infused Hallelujah picked up the energy. A joyous Gbedu kept that party going before a celebratory rampage through his biggest hits rounded out the night with garage-inspired remixes and rapid-fire mash-ups running hot than hotter. “I’m on form,” he playfully told his DJ, clearly enjoying the pandemonium in the crowd. Joined by the likes of Jay Angelo, Pip Millett and Skrapz during the gig, Ghetts was more than comfortable sharing the spotlight, but never shied away from hyping up the crowd. Considered, fearless and with boundless ambition, On Purpose, With Purpose is a career high but at last night’s gig the MC was already striving for more.