TrueMendous: Break Offline Tour
Photo Credit: Dom Le Brun
Words: Tyrone Bulger
The streets of Dalston pur with a Friday night ambience as I make my way to the Jago, one of East London’s bedrock institutions for grassroots music. With TrueMendous’ Break Offline Tour being the motive, evening burnt orange clouds swirl above as the headliner herself greets the earlycomers at the door, setting the tone for a night of impressive performances and communal warmth.
Break Offline, Before I Have A Breakdown Online is the fourth album from TrueMendous, a project bursting with lyrical depth, personal storytelling, and social accountability, all hallmarks of the well respected Birmingham MC. Having released her debut album Huh? On High Focus in 2020, she followed with two more deep dive projects on the label, titled Misdiagnosis of Chyvonne Johnson, and Great. On Purpose, respectively. Break Offline marks a freshly galvanised chapter in her journey, as TrueMendous takes her busker inspired identity fully independent, in collaboration with her producer, Bear.
As the venue begins to bubble with a crowd diverse in ages and ethnicities, the all female lineup [due to the absence of UK legend Skinnyman], curated by FDE Events, begins to warm things up with an eclectic mix of genres. Zion and Siobhan, an RnB and HipHop duo, ice their new wave nostalgia with synchronised dance moves, while Courtney Bennett and Rozzzqween bathe the room in a soulful dreaminess, underlined by their effortless stage presence.
By the time TrueMendous steps to the fore, the Jago feels less like a venue and more like a family function. Directed by the intimacy of the supporting performances, the crowd consisting of characters from Birmingham, France, Germany, New York, and a strong London contingency, interlaces itself and responds to each performance with a village of praise.
There’s an ease to the way she commands the room. No theatrics, no gimmicks, just sharp lyricism and genuine connection. The set moves through the stripped back, personal reflections of songs such as Chill Tonight, and For The Girls, to more lyrically and sonically charged tracks like Diapers & Cribs, and Rate My Look. From lofi, to garage, to gritty hiphop, TrueMendous demonstrates her impeccable ability to traverse through tempos and genres, leaving the audience hanging from her every word.
For Zion and Siobhan, the opening duo who were asked for their availability just two days before the gig, the opportunity to perform alongside her clearly means a lot. “I want to ask her so many questions,” Zion tells me after the show. “From a rapping, lyric writing perspective. She’s such a talent.”
Rozzzqween, who assisted in crowning one of the evening’s stand out moments, when she joined TrueMendous on stage to perform their collaborative track, Worst Child, pays homage to the role the rapper has played in her own artistic development. “It’s such a full circle moment,” she tells me amongst smoking area chatter. “TrueMendous was the first artist who ever gave me a feature in Birmingham. She kind of mentored me in the music business space.” “It was so great to be able to show up for her. This is the first time we have ever been on the same lineup. It was beautiful.”
Wordplay readers should pay close attention, all of the above mentioned artists [Zion and Siobhan, Rozzzqween, and Courtney Bennett] are incredible talents to be added to your playlists. Their recent projects and upcoming gigs are listed at the bottom of this article.
With the closing DJ set in full swing, the dancefloor buzzes with a familiar sense of shared connection. As the newly assembled family groove to garage, hiphop, and rnb bangers, I steal TrueMendous away to hear how the evening felt for her.
“I love the community aspect of the audience that was here,” she says. “Everyone was mingling, socialising. Nobody was uppity or standoffish. People that came by themselves found someone to talk to. It was easily one of the top three crowds I’ve ever performed in front of.”
Equally special for TrueMendous on the night was having an all black female lineup. “It doesn’t happen that regularly. It wasn’t intended, because there were a couple of male performers on the original lineup, but I think how it turned out was a blessing.” “I feel like there was no dip in the show. Everyone held their own. The audience was heavily into the neosoul and RnB atmosphere. It went really well.” “It’s good to showcase black women on any platform, so where I can do that I will.”
On her latest project, Break Offline Before I Have A Breakdown Online, TrueMendous speaks of it being her most vulnerable and raw album to date. “It speaks on a lot of themes people can relate to,” she explains.
“Financial struggles, therapy, grief, mental health issues. It analyses the things people have been going through in the last two or three years. I want to create a body of work that encompasses that.” “I’m also looking to transition into theatre,” she reveals to me. “From a songwriting standpoint. So no upcoming bodies of work from me, but I’m definitely looking to step into [that] space, songwriting and potentially a one woman play.”
With the two of four shows now done, the next stop will be tomorrow night, in Manchester at Band on the Wall, before rounding the tour off in Dublin, at The Racket Space.
By the time I step back out into Dalston’s midnight haze, the feeling lingering in the air is bigger than a gig. In a landscape increasingly dominated by performance for the timeline, TrueMendous’ Break Offline Tour feels defiantly human. The warmth between artists, the openness of the crowd, and the emotional sharpness of the music all point towards something that can’t be manufactured online. It has to be lived in the room.
Find recent project links and upcoming gig information for all the mentioned artists below.
TrueMendous:
Break Offline Before I Have A Breakdown Online: Listen here
Rozzzqween:
Mr Drummer (forthcoming): out on the 15th May.
Orangebox, Fulham Pier. July 31st.
Goodentime Festival. September 2nd-4th.
Courtney Bennett: Listen to them here
Zion and Siobhan:
Available for bookings.
Listen to them here
