Words by Emily Hyatt

Based on the fact that tour dates continued to sell out, it was a surprise for me to see that Brighton’s favourite record store – ‘Resident’, was advertising tickets for Little Simz’, The Chain Reaction Tour. 

Little Simz, formerly known as Simbiatu Abisola Abiola Ajikawo, opted to do an intimate tour for her new album, ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’. Unfortunately, she had to reschedule her Brighton show. But she definitely saved the best show until last. 

Little Simz began the set with her track, ‘Introvert’. The drums and the brass instruments illuminated through my body and gave me goosebumps. This was my first concert since the pandemic; thus, hearing these instrumentals and seeing Little Simz in the flesh brought me back to the adrenaline rush worthy moments that I’ve been missing. 

Fortunately, my friend and I were at the front. This emphasised the intimacy of the performance. 

Next, Little Simz performed ‘Two Worlds Apart’. The song’s introduction gave a nostalgic ambience to the audience, whilst also displaying her versatility, as she successfully blends “old school 70s” with modern-day Hip Hop. 

Throughout, Little Simz encouraged the audience to interact with each of the songs. During her performance of ‘Selfish’, she noticed that the person next to me was rapping along word for word, which resulted in her joining in with him. At one point, I cheered when she rapped the lyrics “grew up in that Southside of that River Thames,” which led to her nodding and acknowledging me. Later on, I also got to hold hands with her as she began putting her hand out to the audience. Moments like these are very precious and made the last two years of social distancing feel non-existent. 

Personally, my favourite moment of the night was when Little Simz performed ‘Woman’. For this song, in particular, she wanted to amp up the energy to ensure that she went out with a bang. Not only were the vocals beautiful, but the song’s purpose celebrates the women that aren’t appreciated enough in society. My friend and I cheered when she rapped “Miss Jamaica understand food for the soul”. Once again, we got acknowledged by Little Simz and she appreciated that we were representing our culture, whilst rapping the rest of that verse to us. 

In general, it was exhilarating seeing Little Simz on stage. The most shocking moment for me was hearing her rap ‘Venom’. The social media platform ‘Tiktok’ boosted the popularity of this song and to be honest – it terrified me seeing it live! 

With a number of people mosh pitting, I thought my trainers were going to fall apart by the end of the night. Altogether, it was unbelievable witnessing Little Simz rap so fast and it made me realise how underestimated she is as an artist.

Contributing words by Shanuk Wickramaratna (Staff Writer)

Little Simz’s Resident performance was nothing short of electrifying. Even though her pre-tour set meant that she was limited to a certain number of songs, Simz raised the roof of CHALK with her energy and talent. Little Simz showcased a new experimental sound, whilst paying homage to 80’s synth wave, cinematic soundscapes and R&B/Soul. It seems as though she is finally getting the credit she deserves for her impressive lyricism and rhythmic flows. Her aura and confidence permeated the audience as she entered the crowd to perform ‘101FM’. As if £12 tickets to the event weren’t great enough, my keen mates and I got the opportunity to meet her after the show. You can only imagine how much I was choking on my words. All in all, Little Simz at CHALK gets a solid 5/5.

Find some of our favourite Little Simz tracks on our Spotify.

Categories: Arts Music

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