Kwaku Asante

25th February 2022

So considering I bought my ticket to see Samm Henshaw mainly because Kwaku Asante was the support act, I thought it was only right to do a review of his performance too. You can read my Samm Henshaw review here.

Blue lights accompanied Kwaku and his guitarist Max on stage. He would begin to tell us that this song was about a situationship and that it was an unreleased song called Roads, discussing how he’s “sick and tired of meeting somebody new / because all these roads they lead back to you”. His buttery smooth voice captivated the audience. He performed Dust next, a song about leaving someone you should leave. His entire set begins to feel incredibly personal and emotional.

He then describes another situationship where things were going well and then the woman decided to self-sabotage. “You’re meant to say ‘aw’ by the way,” he said and we did among a few giggles here and there. This song was called Scared, I think this was one of my favourites, not only can Kwaku sing phenomenally but the man can also write really well too. At this point the stage is now red which I feel is quite fitting. His stories that dance between love and heartbreak are relatable and I think that’s why the crowd loves him. I think his emotions are at a peak here, it also feels like he’s pouring his heart out to everyone in the room through his voice and lyrics, evoking vulnerability.

Next he performs Illusions, from his latest EP Ode, that he describes is about a trip to Barcelona that he has little memory of. The pre-chorus and the hook is just infectiously catchy. All I can say is if you do not listen to Kwaku Asante already, you are missing out on a lot. The song ends with a guitar solo before tapping into the last chorus. He then launches into a cover of Adorn by Miguel. Covers are something I see done a lot by support acts and I do think it’s a useful tool for helping people get to know your vocal range because it induces familiarity. He delivers a beautiful rendition of the song while we’re all singing along.

From the Honeycomb EP, he performs Sunday. Again, this is your second invitation to check out his music, because this song is simply fantastic and I think everyone needs to listen to it. The lyrics “let’s break bread then I’ll break your back” get a cheer out of the audience, see what I mean about his songwriting? The high notes he hits towards the end of this song are simply beautiful. Lastly, he performs Molasses, which is the crowd favourite and he even gets us to join in. The chemistry between the guitar and his voice while they flirt across the sweet (like molasses) melody is so magical to experience. He only needs a guitar on stage to create an extraordinary performance.

He mentioned that one or two songs were from an EP he planned to drop later this year earlier in the night and as he walked off stage I really hoped he’d do a tour or at least a couple of shows for it’s release. I’m so glad I got to see him. Vocals like velvet, I’d happily go see him every time he played a show. I’ve been listening to him for quite a while now so I’m pretty familiar with his music but I thoroughly encourage everyone to get to know his music. He’s one to watch and definitely one of the UK’s finest.