Gig Review: Genesis Owusu At The ICA

Genesis Owusu shows that he’s not just on the verge of greatness but already there with a memorable set that rewards all those who brave the heatwave at the ICA, performing in the shadow of Buckingham Palace to show the public what real royalty is.

The audience is a bit different in here tonight; despite the best efforts of Genesis Owusu, who somehow manages to keep up the charisma and staying power for his whole set. It is the peak of a record-breaking a heatwave; after all – but that doesn’t stop him from triumphantly wading into the crowd; and bringing the whole of the Institute of Contemporary Arts, situated just a few minutes from Buckingham Palace in the heart of the capital to its knees. The 350-capacity venue becomes a melting pot for a showcase of Genesis Owusu’s talent, and this feels like a trial run – competing against a dull England game and a heatwave and maintaining more energy than both combined. This is a man that is unstoppable on his game – launching into ‘Pirate Radio’ with the force of an unmatched talent. “Elon’s a fucking weirdo,” he wastes no time in getting political – rightly going for the new confidence that incels have found in the wake of the trillionaire’s takeover of X (formerly twitter), and the republican regime. “Who gave those incels moolah?” he asks as a call and response – “spit out your threats and slurs, kid… I’ll show you something crueller.” This goes hard – straight to the fucking jugular with the current state of the United States now and doesn’t hold back. The hook about the permanent grift of the right wing and blowing people’s brains out feels instantly iconic and is the perfect time to pull the audience in and get them engaged. It’s a remix – but it still has the staying power to get the crowd warmed up.

‘Stampede’ is a builder and the atmosphere just keeps going and going. It’s relentless; the tracks all mosh ready and you feel like had the temperature not been criminal the mosh would’ve got relentless there and then. It feels like a primer – you want more – come back and go hard. The room is this hot and Genesis Owusu can bring this much energy anyway? It isn’t a normal show – it can’t be – but my god, have you rarely seen anyone eat into the crowd more.

This is a celebration of REDSTAR WU & THE WORLDWIDE SCOURGE, and he more than delivers on that count. The crowd are on their knees for the slower number ‘4Life’ and he embraces the dance and funk of it all as much as he is unafraid to go full-pelt. This is a teaser for his return at Electric Brixton in the end of the year in November – starting a nostalgia tangent about missing the life we used to lead together and then bringing the energy back to where it all began for an intimate moment amid the chaos. You can tell this is a lot of people’s first Genesis Owusu set; the cameras hang on his every word – and he is popping off and ready to explode. This is a callback to the last lingering days pre-covid of 2018 where the world is ours and that dreamlike, almost akin to ‘Mid90s’ or ‘Everybody Wants Some’ nostalgia is captured perfectly with a sense of longing and warmth. “I miss the life we used to lead” is an anthem builder; which is delivered perfectly to an adoring fandom, drifting into propre new wave territory. By the time the set finishes, Owusu’s brand nostalgia feels warm and enveloping, a comfort hug that will have you memorising the gig long after you’re done. It is not just a look into the past but an attack on the present: very much something that exists in the landscape of the 2020s; mixing it up with the high-tempo ‘Death Cult Zombie’ that feels like an onslaught of bubbling righteous anger deployed to the end of the set. His maverick antics engage the crowd – attacking the existence of systematic racism that is sadly, not unique to any one country and a universal problem: “I live here, so why you following me?” he asks – “Mr. Master race, but no GED,” going directly for those who believe themselves to be the perfect example of humanity but burn in the sun and look British in the teeth. It echoes Bob Vylan or Viagra Boys/Amyl infused rowdiness at times and captures the same amount of blistering intensity; and then for ‘The Worldwide Scourge’, almost drifts into Raye territory to calm things down a bit. The other pit starter is ‘MOST NORMAL AMERICAN VOTER’; coming for those who religiously subscribe to propaganda artists like Sean Hannity and using his name head on as a blunt instrument.

His genre blends between pop punk, new wave, and a healthy dosage of funk and soul to bring the pace down but never anything but engaging. It has that easy sense of familiarity that comes with the sense of knowing a record like the back of your end but still being able to be surprised each time you turn to it; and seen live, it’s like a record that doesn’t let up. He is storytelling with an alluring hook that’s impossible to walk away from and you never quite know what route he’s going to do next – and that gets the audience consistently engaged. Everyone in the room feels like they’re performing with him and they’re the third member of the performance – it feels electric; engaging and those that dare to embrace the mosh of a venue that gives out ice packs on the door it’s that hot; are rewarded. He’s already a favourite of the Australian scene which has given us so many great names in the past such as Amyl and the Sniffers and more recently Frenzee and has already had an international breakout that has earned him fans from the likes of Barack Obama. The platform of the venue like the ICA feels small but allows him to gain experience and engage with a record that feels responsive to the current status of the political climate. His black leather get-up makes him look like the coolest person in Piccadilly; and in the shadow of royalty, he becomes one of the finest currently working performers with more in common with the rebellious, anti-authoritarian Banksy statue around the corner than the Monarchs down the road.

Photo Credit: Jamieson Kerr