Example + Wretch 32 @ Birmingham NIA – 1st May 2012
Example & guest, Wretch 32, have gone from being some of the grime scene’s most underrated MC’s to two of the most recognised in the new wave of mainstream UK rap.
They are now relatively household names in the UK and official brand ambassadors for Adidas.
Wretch 32 started of the night of high octane music with “Hands Up” and a mash up of “Jump Around”, the House Of Pain classic, appealing to the crowd. Then out came his mainstream hits, “Tractor”, which got the crowd excited, and “Unorthodox”, another hit which he collaborated on with Example, at which point I was personally surprised he did not join him on stage as the song was a massive hit, hitting number two in the UK charts.
Mr Three Two (32) as he is sometimes referred to and his energetic band carried on the entertainment of the crowd with tracks from his album debut “Black & White” and gave us a preview track off his next album featuring Ed Sheeran called “Hush Little Baby”, a tune well worth looking out for.
Example stepped out on stage and thanked his fans, reminding us the last time he played Birmingham he was at The Ballroom, highlighting the huge strides he made in the past year.
As any of his fans will let you know, Example’s sound is all about energy, fun and electro pop music.
He entered the National Indoor Arena to a chorus of loud cheers and it remained that way until the end. Hit Singles “Kickstart”, “Midnight Run”, “Changed The Way You Kiss Me” and songs from Example’s forthcoming album, “Playing With The Shadows”, were performed. From the moment he entered the stage the standing audience was bouncing and the seated section of the NIA joined in. From the start to the end of the set he pretty much had the audience on his side.
He ordered mosh pits in the NIA and fans complied. Example’s performance on the night was all about letting go of yourself and having fun. Pretty much 8 bars from each song came out of his mouth before he told the arena to “Jump Jump!”
An energetic and fun performance. Nobody left without a smile on their face!
Review – Chadwick Jackson
Photo – Katja Ogrin