Topping the bill last Friday night at the Freshers’ Sea Front Festival was none other than one of the UK’s biggest and most popular hip hop artists, Tinchy Stryder.
‘The Star in the Hood’ artist shot to fame in 2009 with his single ‘Take Me Back’. He then went on to gain his first number one, the aptly named single ‘Number One’ which was a collaboration with N-Dubz.
Since then, Stryder has had huge success and has released collaborations with artists such as Taio Cruz and the Sugababes’ Amelle Berabah. The star has also performed at huge gigs across the UK, including Glastonbury, which has earned him the nickname of ‘The Prince of Grime.’
The Badger met Tinchy Stryder and his entourage before his Freshers’ Festival performance at Tru. He had come straight from London and seemed rather surprised when I greeted him in the VIP lounge, as I was under the impression that I wasn’t allowed to talk to him at all! There was also a camera crew filming a documentary when, all of a sudden, Tinchy and the supporting act started rapping. We hung around in the lounge area for a while, chatting as we waited for the show to kick off.
The eager audience were not disappointed as Tinchy Stryder wowed the crowd by blasting out some of his top songs, kicking off his set with ‘Stryder Man’ and including ‘Never Leave You’, ‘Number One’ and ‘Take Me Back’.
The atmosphere of this sell out gig was electric, as freshers and new friends were united by Tinchy’s music. The gig felt personal and intimate as the club was brimming with Tinchy fans, all wanting to be closer to the stage. Even so, the intimate feel of the club meant wherever you were in the club you felt involved in the performance.
When Stryder raised his arms the audience did too. As he asked everyone to ‘put their ones up’, the whole audience were singing away to the popular hits. You couldn’t help but feel excited as the massive star performed songs which have become so popular in the music charts and have become anthems over the past year.
When the first few beats of the songs started playing, the excitement rippled through the crowd and filled the room with a buzzing feeling by the end of the song. Tinchy, a true superstar, also treated the crowd to a preview of his new single ‘Second Chance’ together with Taio Cruz which is released on the 1st of November 2010.
