Kofi Stone @ 02 Forum Kentish Town (28.01.26)
Kofi Stone’s sold out headline show at Kentish Town O2 Forum was a journey of emotions led by a master wordsmith.
The moment the lights drop and the intro to Rainfall snatches the chatter from the room, Kofi Stone has our undivided attention. Softened red and blue beams drag through the haze, silhouetting the larger than life sunflowers and peonies that shoot up from the stage. He is more than deserving of his flowers.
Over the course of a pirouetting 90 minute set, Stone delivered a flawless showcase of tracks from his latest album, All The Flowers Have Bloomed, propagated by fan favourites taken from his first and second LPs. Performing at the largest venue of his journey so far, this felt like a milestone evening for the London born, Birmingham grown MC, who is fast becoming one of the most opulent poets in a stratosphere of incredible UK rap talent.
He follows Rainfall with Same Old, taken from his debut album Nobody Cares Till Everybody Does, and leads into Water, pausing only to soak up the raucous applause and cheers that follow each track.
Throughout this introduction, still sporting the durag and fur hooded jacket he entered wearing, he stays rooted to the centre of the stage, clutching the mic with its stand still attached. The scene brings to mind a powerful nostalgia, reminiscent of an era of jazz and soul music many of us didn’t get to live but appreciate so dearly, an era that has shaped Stone’s sound through the record collections of parents and grandparents.
Echoes of this influence permeate the set as the likes of Frozen Hearts, Golden and I Can See Flowers dance a passionate tango with the more gritty and verbose cadences of hits such as King David Flow and Busker Flow. This is a performance that puts as many tears in eyes as it does gun fingers to the rafters.
As the temperature of the set rises, cools, and warms again, the durag and jacket come off and the special guests appear. Stone’s introduction of Maverick Sabre is met with a cacophonous approval. Let The Flowers Bloom is a personal favourite from the album, a song emblematic of a constant theme; love.
A different kind of infatuation reverberates through the throng of bobbing heads when Flowers Flow loops into the freshly released remix featuring D Double E. Expressed by more than 2,000 ‘OOOH-OOOH’s and ‘JACKUM’s, the reception is riotous for the collaboration with one of the grime scenes' most celebrated ambassadors. Naturally, it takes the duo more than one attempt to reach the closing bar of the song.
D Double E leaves the stage with a statement for the masses; “Kofi Stone, the future.”
He isn’t wrong. Stone moves around the stage with stature and steeze. It feels like we are witnessing a future star in his element.
Even when a technical mistake momentarily disrupts proceedings, he doesn’t flinch, instead telling himself “you are Kofi Stone, you gotta fix this,” before breaking into an acapella freestyle, drawing a rapturous response from the audience.
Of all the emotions felt throughout the show, the cameos, and ‘put it on your story’ moments, the real highlights of the night are arguably the rawest. Stone is cherished for his heart on sleeve storytelling, capable of eliciting a humble silence on a crowd who were possessed by a rowdiness only moments ago.
Its Ok to Cry and A Mothers Love respectively explore the challenges and relationships that so many of us hold close to our heart, and the effect of their renditions on the crowd is palpable.
It’s arguably what puts him in a league of his own. Kofi Stone can do bravado and energy, he has them both in abundance, but it’s the invisible chord of empathy connecting him to the audience and his fanbase that make him special.
Hip hop gigs are fun, but when you’re hit with that lump in the throat, tears streaming down your face, grab and hug a loved one kind of music, that’s when you know it’s a gig you’ll be talking about for years to come.
Words: Tyrone Bulger
Pictures: Dom Le Brun
