Loyle Carner delights crowds at Southampton Summer Sessions

Carner, who blends hip-hop with rap, kicked off his summer 2024 tour with a near-90-minute gig in Guildhall Square.

As the Saturday sun began to set, he entered the stage to a roar from the audience as his band played the opening notes of Hate.

The 29-year-old worked through his list of hits, including Desoleil, Yesterday and Loose Ends, encouraging the audience to sing along in place of featured artists Sampha and Jorja Smith.

Carner briefly paused the show midway through his song Angel to allow an audience member, who appeared to have fainted, to move nearer the stage.

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He declared: "We look after each other at a Loyle Carner show," which was met with applause and cheers, and encouraged the audience to drink more water before continuing the show.

He also took time to thank the audience for attending. Carner's raps were spliced by his trademark poetry, with one song often seamlessly transitioning into the next.

Ottolenghi brought the official show to a beautiful close before he was encouraged to return for an encore.

Rather than singing, Carner opted for a brand new poem, before once again telling the audience to "take these words and move forwards."

Loyle Carner thrilled the audience at Southampton Summer Sessions (Image: Cuffe & Taylor)

As the London-born artist left the stage, he confirmed that he's almost finished working on new music.

Before Carner took to the stage at 8.45pm, he was supported by Dweller, an electronic music artist who previously helped Carner produce some of his songs.

Barnaby Page, a Solent University Student, described the gig as "amazing." He said: "Loyle Carner has been one of my favourite artists for a while.

"I'm glad that I finally got to see him live in Southampton. At the end of the show, he promised that he would be back soon. I hope that is the case because the show was amazing."