K'naan at Hoxton Bar and Grill

On monday night, I went to see K'naan at the Hoxton Bar and Grill, London. I've featured him so many times on this blog that this could be would be a mini fan site. 

The show was started 30 minutes late. The opening act, Cortes are good, but not great. They sound like they have been listening to a lot of Lenny Kravitz. They are amazing guitarists and they know it, but they lack the song writing skills they need to make it big. Reptitive lyrics work for Black eyed peas, but when Cortes do the same thing they come off a bit lazy and boring. Their songs had lengthy, phenomenal guitar solos, but without the lyrics to back it up, it got boring quickly.

K’naan came on around 10 (he was sheduled to come on at 9:30), some of us started to think he wasn't going to show. When he first started to perform, it seemed like he didn’t want to be there. During the show he admitted to being a bit sore and tired from touring, but as the show went on things really picked up. The energy was intense and amazing.  Every single song was heartfelt and by the end he felt like a familiar friend.

Before we left for the concert my sister asked me, “what would he sing about once he becomes rich and famous?”. I said “I guess he would just have to remain humble”. I doubt money and fame is going to change K’naan anytime soon.   During the show he talked passionately about life in Somalia – friends and girlfriends getting killed or left behind. When he moved to America, he problems with the INS which led to the eventual move to Canada.  The stories were sad, but empowering.

I wish I had recorded it all, but I have some little clips and some mediocre pictures to share. If you are a fan, he is going to be at Koko, London in November. It is worth every penny without a doubt, I’m actually thinking of going to see him again. 

The Stage


Cortes





K'naan














MITNB