Photo Credits: Andrew Timms & Theo Batterham
There aren’t many artists in the world quite like Santan Dave. From spitting lyrics starring deep into the emotionless, unflinching eye of the camera lens, to having hundreds of thousands of eyes following him intensely; pupils widening in awe and amazement.
This has become commonplace for the Streatham hailing artist nowadays, the camera lenses are now being held by auters like Edem Wornoo – responsible for some of the most eye catching visuals Dave has done, and he comfortably packs out arenas up and down the country. The years grafting in the shadows is what has set the stage for the inescapable spotlight that now follows Dave wherever he goes. The homecoming leg of the tour was filled with faithful disciples that have been on this journey with the boy who played the harp, and the adoration inside the 02 was palpable. It takes a special kind of artist to not only fill a venue that can feel cavernous, but fill it with such genuine love and appreciation.
The production on the album has an analogue authenticity about it, leaning into classical instruments like pianos, guitars and drums – rather than relying on some of the more modern techniques and trickery that technology has afforded us. The show followed this same pattern, relying on Dave’s showmanship and the enduring quality of the music to capture the attention of an audience made up of a generation who supposedly has a dwindling attention span.
As Dave moved through cuts from the new album like the Jim Legacy assisted “weapons”, the crowd recited every word as if it had been written by their own hand. That’s the way it went for much of the night, every sermon from The Boy that Played the Harp was met with the same gusto from the audience. James Blake in the flesh sounded just as mesmerising as he does on the records, adding a mythical feel to the evening.
There were flashes from the past throughout the set, as Dave tipped his hat to longtime fans by gliding through memorable tracks like modern day Grime classic “Thiago Silva” and the opener from his seminal debut album, “Psycho”. It served as a reminder just how vast and far reaching Dave’s discography is, whether its summer bangers like “Location” with Burna Boy or the mammoth “Sprinter” with Cench, the set list proved there hasn’t been a time in the last ten years that Dave hasn’t been relevant.
The stars came out for Dave too, on top of James Blake from the opening night, Tems, Kano, Mo Stack, Tim Duzit, Stormzy and Jim Legxacy joined Santan on the stage to light up the 02. As Dave continues the tour across the US and Australia, we’re convinced that the homecoming leg will live long in the memories of Dave and those lucky enough to be in attendance.