On the 9th of April, I made the long trek out to Hackney in East London to see Seattle-based rapper, Grieves, at Oslo. My first impression of this new venue was that it is slightly out of place. It’s on the second floor (or first floor by UK standards) above their affiliated restaurant/pub, and it seemed fairly small mostly due to the fact that a lot of people didn’t arrive until 8:30. It definitely has good potential, so if you’re ever in London, make sure to check it out.
The venue started to fill up just before Grieves was set to go on and everyone in the crowd was conversing with one another and having a good time. I had a couple of strangers come up to me and ask how I was and if I was excited for the show, and it was an overall good and friendly atmosphere (I’m sure the bar in the back helped).
By the time Grieves went on, everyone seemed thrilled to have him back on a stage in London. He informed the crowd throughout that this was his first ever headlining show in Europe and he expressed his gratitude any chance that he got. His set included a wide mix of songs ranging from old songs like Scar Gardens all the way through to his newest tracks from the recently released album The Winter & The Wolves. The entire set, it was easy to tell how into it the audience was; everyone was singing along, moving with the music, and swaying their hands and screaming certain lyrics when prompted. Grieves connects with his crowds so well and everyone in the room was smiling throughout the set.
It had been 3 years from the last time I saw him live and he has since changed his live show around. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect because I was so used to seeing him with former producer, Budo, but I was definitely impressed with how he has evolved his sound, including the revamping of his old songs.
If you live in Europe, be sure to check out the remainder of the Winter & The Wolves European leg. For those of you Stateside, he will be in your area later this spring into the summer. He is definitely someone you don’t want to miss!
04.10.14 Birmingham, UK Hare & Hounds 2
04.11.14 Manchester, UK Soup Kitchen
04.12.14 Paris, FR Nouveau Casino
14.14 Brussels, BE Rotonde
04.15.14 Munich, DE Muffatcafe
04.16.14 Berlin, DE Cassiopeia
04.17.14 Hamburg, DE Mojo Jazz Cafe
04.18.14 Frankfurt, DE Zoom
04.19.14 Aarhus, DK Atlas
04.20.14 Copenhagen, DK Pumpehuset
04.22.14 Oslo, NO Sawol
04.23.14 Stockholm, SE Nalen
04.29.14 Portland, OR Branx
05.01.14 Reno, NV Knitting Factory
05.02.14 San Francisco, CA Slim’s
05.03.14 Los Angeles, CA The Roxy
05.04.14 Santa Ana, CA Constellation Room
05.05.14 Tucson, AZ Congress
05.06.14 El Paso, TX Tricky Falls
05.07.14 Albuquerque, NM Sunshine Theater
05.09.14 Durango, CO Animas City Theatre
05.10.14 Denver, CO Ogden Theatre
05.13.14 Austin, TX Stubbs Jr.
05.14.14 Dallas, TX Cambridge Room at HOB
05.15.14 Oklahoma City, OK The Conservatory
05.16.14 Lawrence, KS Granada
05.17.14 St. Louis, MO Firebird
05.19.14 Columbia, MO Mojo’s
05.21.14 Cincinnati, OH 20th Century Theatre
05.22.14 Columbus, OH The Basement
05.23.14 Chicago, IL Subterranean
05.25.14 Shakopee, MN Canterbury Park
05.27.14 Omaha, NE The Waiting Room
05.28.14 Rapid City, SD Sports Rock
05.29.14 Billings, MT The Carlin
05.30.14 Jackson, WY Pink Garter Theatre
05.31.14 Salt Lake City, UT In The Venue
06.01.14 Boise, ID The Reef
06.02.14 Spokane, WA The Bartlett
06.07.14 Seattle, WA Showbox
07.09.14 Missoula, MT Top Hat
07.11.14 Fargo, ND The Aquarium
07.12.14 Sioux Falls, SD Bigs Billiards
07.13.14 Iowa City, IA The Blue Moose
07.15.14 Grand Rapids, MI The Stache / Intersection
07.16.14 Detroit, MI Magic Stick
07.17.14 Cleveland, OH Grog Shop
07.18.14 Rochester, NY Main Street Armory
07.19.14 Toronto, ON Hard Luck Bar
07.20.14 Montreal, QB La Sala Rossa
07.22.14 Burlington, VT Higher Ground
07.23.14 Northampton, MA Pearl Street Clubroom
07.24.14 Boston, MA Middle East
07.25.14 New York, NY Marlin Room @ Webster Hall
07.26.14 Philadelphia, PA Union Transfer
07.27.14 Washington, DC Rock & Roll Hotel
07.28.14 Chapel Hill, NC Local 506
07.30.14 Atlanta, GA Masquerade (Hell Room)
07.31.14 Birmingham, AL Bottletree
08.01.14 New Orleans, LA One Eyed Jacks
08.02.14 Houston, TX Fitzgeralds
08.05.14 Flagstaff, AZ Green Room
08.06.14 Las Vegas, NV Backstage Bar
08.08.14 Eugene, OR WOW Hall
And don’t forget to buy his newest album, Winter & The Wolves, out now through Ryhmesayers Entertainment.
