slowthai relishing the return to intimate venues as Tyron tour begins

“Without small venues no artists would get to play on the big stage.”
slowthai begins his UK tour in Glasgow tonight.slowthai begins his UK tour in Glasgow tonight.
slowthai begins his UK tour in Glasgow tonight.

Six months after the release of his second album Tyron, slowthai finally kicks off his UK tour in Scotland tonight.

The Northampton rapper is playing a run of shows at intimate venues ending with a sold-out gig at Northampton’s Roadmender.

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Earlier this month, slowthai announced his inaugural Happyland festival was being postponed due to not being able to put together an event to the standard he wanted.

Despite that setback, slowthai said he is relishing a return to some of the country’s best small venues.

slowthai said: “I’m just excited, I just want to get back out there doing what I love to do and be there, blood, sweat and tears, with people again.

“As much as it’s amazing playing in front of a big crowd, you can’t beat the feeling of being in the sweatboxes where everyone is there, they are the best shows, they’re my favourite. “It’s also the chance to give back to people like we did on the 99p Tour.

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“Especially after covid, these places need it, they need it to start flourishing again.

“Without small venues no artists would get to play on the big stage.”

In recent days slowthai played at All Points East and Reading and Leeds festivals where tracks from Tyron were performed to fans for the first time.

“It’s quite daunting,” he explains. “I know the songs, when I made them I obviously made them with the idea of playing them live.

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“I know it’s going to go off, it’s going to be crazy, even more than the last stuff.”

Following Glasgow, slowthai will play in Leeds, Birmingham, Oxford, Southampton and London before returning for a hometown gig.

While this run of dates is sold out, the rapper, who recently became a father, will play 13-UK dates across the UK and Ireland in March next year as part of his Hell Is Home Tour.

Tickets for these shows are available now.

Talking about recently becoming a father, slowthai said: “It’s a blessing, I suppose it’s the best creation I’ll ever make, it’s the one thing we’re actually here to do I suppose.

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“It’s definitely different, but different is always a good thing - I’ve never really been one for sleeping. “Before, it’d only been about me being happy in my world but now I feel the responsibility for my son and my family - there’s so much more. It’s a beautiful thing.”

While Happyland may have been postponed, in recent months slowthai has featured on tracks by Idles (Model Village), Shygirl (BDE) and Pa Salieu (Glidin’) who were all set to play at the event.

Talking about Bristol’s post-punks Idles, he said: “They’ve been my friends since Nothing Great About Britain. For them I’d do anything.

“I’m trying to get them on a couple of things, this is just the start of something.”

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Quizzed about his own plans for a successor to Tyron, he said: “I’m always looking ahead, I won’t say it’s on its way but it’s definitely ‘on its way to on its way’.

“I’m just excited to get playing shows again and see people enjoy themselves and be together.”

For more details, visit www.slowthai.com