On the 28th September, Maria Hanlon headed to Islington Assembly Hall for another epic event from say woah. Starring Children Of Zeus, Finn Foxell, Bawo & Casskidd…
After attending the first say woah. event at Hackney Church last year where Frankie Stew & Harvey Gunn, The Silhouettes Project, Jeshi and Jianbo performed, I knew that their next line up would deliver, and it sure did!
I arrived at Islington Assembly Hall as Bawo was performing and the venue was almost full. Bawo was born and raised in west London and has become one of the most exciting names in the UK’s rap scene. As expected he had the crowd in the palm of his hand singing along and moving with him as he paced up and down the stage.
There was a short break and I managed to shuffle to the front as BBC Radio 1Xtra’s CassKidd jumped on the decks. He kept the energy high whilst blending hip-hop bangers. He was also hosting the evening, and was the perfect person for the job with his infectious energy. He introduced the one and only Finn Foxell, the next act to perform.
The Shepherd’s Bush native came from a musical family, so he has never known anything different. His talent and stage presence instantly hook you and it’s hard to get distracted as he performs. Whilst Finn’s been on the scene for a while, he keeps his music fresh by experimenting with different sounds and fusing genres whilst still remaining authentic.
Finn performed some of his much loved older tunes such as ‘Buddah’, ‘Cool Bless Safe’ and ‘Coming In 3s’ which had the crowd bopping along. He slowly built the energy throughout his performance, with people slowly swaying side to side at the start and jumping up and down, whilst sweating at the end!
He also performed two unreleased tracks which everyone loved. They were energetic and instantly catchy, leaving me eagerly waiting for their release so I can play them over and over again. Finn ended on one of his most recent tunes ‘TYSON’ which blends together rap, drum and bass, and punk and taps into the raw emotions of teenage angst and discontentment, creating a lively anthem. The track sent the crowd into a frenzy and was an epic ending to his incredible set.
CassKidd returned to the stage to keep the vibes flowing and then introduced Children of Zeus, the final performers of the evening. Their DJ Darka got set up as the excitement heightened and then shortly after Konny Kon and Tyler Daley, who make up soul/hip hop project Children of Zeus, walked out on stage. The crowd went wild and I was so happy to see them as I’d been waiting for years, and tonight was finally the night!
The pair are two of Manchester’s most respected artists, both recognised MCs and beatmakers in their own right. Their soulful hip-hop gives them their own unique sound and they’ve built a serious fan base over the years, as is evident tonight. They also host a radio show on NTS and have recently been on tour and will be next performing in London on the 30th of November, so get the date in your diary.
They played fan favourites including ‘Hard Work’, ‘No Love Song’ and ‘Smoke With Me’ which the audience sang along with, knowing the lyrics to every song. As I looked around the packed, slightly sweaty room, it was clear how much of an impact their music has had on people’s lives.
They both worked together perfectly with Konny’s slick bars and Tyler’s stunning soulful voice. They interacted with the audience throughout keeping us mesmerised. The last track of the evening was ‘Vibrations’ which was the first song I heard of theirs when it came out in 2018 and have loved ever since.
No one does it like Children of Zeus and after being a fan for years, I can confirm they were even better live than I could have imagined. It was a beautiful evening of music, and if you’re a hip-hop head, I’d strongly suggest keeping your eye on say woah. as if their next event is anything like the first two, we’re in for a real treat!
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Words & photography: Maria Hanlon @mariahanlon
Listen to The Voices Breakfast Show with Maria Hanlon on the 1st Friday of the month 9-11am on voicesradio.co.uk
