All images by Lee Hodkinson
More images after the jump
Prior to Lupe's appearence on Somerset House's compact outdoor stage, the pop - reggae of Ava Leigh was followed by an atmosphere -free spell, causing impatient crowd members to boo / chant the timeless 'why are we waiting?'. The organisers should have planned the warm - up better than they did (reggae at a hip hop gig? NIN being played quietly during sound check? No DJ dropping 'A Millie' a million times?), however, portions of the crowd acting like spoilt five - year olds did nothing but shame those members of the crowd experienced (or mature) enough to respect the unwritten rule: that the headliner comes on at 9:30 - not a moment before, no matter how many toys whiners in the crowd throw from their prams beforehand.
Once Lupe did burst onto the stage (at, wait for it...9.30 on the dot) he did so with an energy that had even the most stroppy audience member forget the whining they were doing just moments before. Looking every inch the GQ Don, Lupe performed crowd pleasers from Food & Liqour like 'Kick, Push', 'Daydream' and 'Sunshine'.
F & F's Matthew Santos was shown much crowd love
F & F's Sarah Green, rock - rocking on...
The superb lighting, capturing Lupe's Manga side
Lupe & Santos double team the crowd
After an energetic hour on stage, Lupe still spit rapid fire lines from Go Go Gadget Flow
and delivered dazzling wordplay from Dumb It Down with apparent ease, to the crowd's amazement
Lupe, Green and Santos sent the crowd nuts with their extended version of Superstar,
the perfect closer to a stellar performance.
