Ritz, ManchesterDespite inspiring grime’s biggest stars, this is only the first nationwide tour from the east Londoner – a victory lap that draws on decades of Black
British music
Stay in the shadows for a while and people begin to wonder why it didn’t happen for you; do it a little while longer and you just might become a legend. As grime blazed through conventional milestones, the
Rapper born Darren Dixon – key former member of early 00s groups Nasty Crew and Newham Generals – struggled to keep pace as the genre entered the mainstream. This first ever nationwide tour is part of an overdue victory lap for his successful second act, befitting an artist who was an early inspiration to Dizzee Rascal, Skepta and Wiley.
Introduced with fitting reverence by opener Novelist, Dixon appears in
MILITARY fatigues, large gold chain and cropped dark hair. The ominous, rattling 2019 single Top Boy showcases Dixon’s taut flow, with bars that flirt with his own mythology and nearly-man status. Coming some 14 years after his first releases, in 2018 Dixon released an album somehow both debut and comeback record – followed by 2020’s better Double or Nothing – and tonight mostly reflects that one-two punch. Lemon Trees, dedicated tonight to the “bare flavours” seemingly on offer in Manchester, is a spirited homily to herb, peppered with the MC’s signature, absurdist ad libs – “bluku bluku”, “bud-a-bup-bup” – linguistic trademarks repeated back by the audience with the recognition of other stars’ biggest bars.