SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE

presents

SKEPTA

Australian headline debut

Thursday 27 September 2018

.

Skepta

SKEPTA by Olivia Rose

.

Where
Concert Hall
Sydney Opera House

Tickets

From $69 + booking fee

.

★★★★★
NME

.

.

Globally renowned UK grime pioneer and MC Skepta will make his Sydney Opera House debut this September with one bass-heavy evening in the Concert Hall.

Sydney Opera House Head of Contemporary Music, Ben Marshall says: “Now Sydney Opera House has welcomed the first rapper to headline Vivid LIVE in Ice Cube and presented RnB wunderkind Bryson Tiller, it’s only proper we’re throwing open the doors for the first time to one of grime’s heavyweight champions, the mighty Skepta. A true grime pioneer and still a master of the form in its renaissance, Skepta’s forceful, distrustful presence is reaching new heights of ferocity, vulnerability and relevance. Come witness Skepta’s powerful art ignite on the Concert Hall stage this September.”

As the eldest in the ‘First Family of Grime’ – his sister Julie is a Beats 1 DJ and brother JME is an MC – Skepta has been making music for over a decade, operating behind the scenes during grime’s early days before founding independent label, Boy Better Know in 2006 with his brother. From Tottenham pirate radio stations to packing out venues worldwide, Skepta has developed into a landmark contemporary artist, leading “one of the most urgent, unique and important music subcultures since punk” (i-D).

His breakthrough album Blacklisted (2012) was self-released and distributed from his living room, before his fourth album Konnichiwa (2016) took out the coveted Mercury Prize (2016). In 2017, Skepta secured three BRIT Award nominations and an NME Award with multiple nominations, catapulting him into the mainstream with high profile collaborators and admirers including Drake, Kanye West and Pharrell, not to mention a guest cameo from Idris Elba on a remix of his hit single, ‘Shutdown’.

Throughout his career, the 35-year-old Nigerian-British artist (born Joseph Junior Adenuga) has been ‘breaking down glass ceilings and paving the way for others’ (Clash). Widely recognised for his lyrical commentary on the British socio-political climate, Skepta has spearheaded positive change in his local Tottenham community where he runs music production workshops and used a sold-out show in London to raise £30,000 for homelessness charity, Shelter. He has also been bestowed a chieftaincy title in his family’s home state of Ogun, Nigeria.

This event is 18+, valid ID required upon entry.

.

LINKS

.

Subscribe to SOH Music on YouTube, featuring live shows, interviews and exclusive performances:

.

Sydney Opera House Contemporary Music

This performance is part of the year-round Sydney Opera House Contemporary Music program, which this year includes Camp Cope, Courtney Barnett, Ben Howard and The The in the Concert Hall. Past highlights include The National, Lorde, and Paul Kelly on the Forecourt; Regina Spektor; Paul Weller; Robert Plant; Moses Sumney; Kamasi Washington; Grizzly Bear; Ben Folds; and Youssou Ndour.

This year, Vivid LIVE 2018 celebrated its 10th anniversary, the Opera House’s annual centrepiece contemporary music festival. In 2018, Vivid LIVE presented Solange, Ice Cube, Mazzy Star, Cat Power, Dreams, H.E.R, Iron & Wine, Neil Finn and Metamathemagical: Lighting the Sails curated by Jonathan Zawada.

.

.

AMNPLIFY – DB