Ghostpoet @ The Art School, 25 November
The first thing you’ll notice about Ghostpoet’s performance (among a plethora of unique attributes) is that his right hand is always mid-air, miming cross stitch or occasionally picking fruit from a pear tree.
Having recently been nominated for the Mercury prize (again) for third album Shedding Skin, this distinctive affectation is an endearing trait and physical manifestation of Obaro Ejimiwe’s passion and relentless focus for his music.
It's a fervent Glasgow crowd; The Art School is teeming, swaying, stirring to the velvet growl of Ghostpoet’s tender and superfluous performance. Keyboardist Clare Uchima has her eyes closed, the strobe lights caress her face and she appears like a modern day Frida Kahlo with superb dexterity and a voice of varnished oak. The band is tight and their gleeful rapport is visible as they share glances and dance moves.
One of the most surprising and refreshing elements of Ghostpoet’s music is his genre-bending, skilful transition between moaning guitar, rock n’ roll, hip-hop and spoken word. From Better No Butter to Off Peak Dreams, Ejimiwe’s energy puts a fever in our hearts. His borderline interpretive dance routines during instrumental sections demonstrate a unique capability to show the crowd that he's 100% in this moment. When it comes to modern rap, Ghostpoet is innovative and transcendent, his verses tonight are as venerable as they are voracious.