Hot on the heels of a successful tour of the US and Europe, Little Simz and her production team headed to London’s Alexandra Palace for back-to-back, sold-out hometown shows – commemorating a successful 2023 on the touring circuit and signifying the artist’s steady rise to stardom, following the release of her fourth studio album, No Thank You. With the flight cases loaded-out and tour truck’s doors slammed firmly shut, TPi checked in with core members of the aptly white shirt and black tie-clad crew – a nod to the album’s iconography and now the de facto stage and audience attire.
“It’s been some journey,” recalled Production Manager, Eric ‘EZ’ Wade, who has been an integral cog in the Little Simz live touring machine since the early days, witnessing the artist’s live output evolve in scale, from headlining the small room at EartH Hackney through to headlining two back-to-back, sold-out dates at the Ally Pally in the space of four years. “The growth speaks for itself. Once you gain greater recognition, your capability to represent and creatively portray an artist is enhanced. We always step it up for hometown London shows.”
Colour Sound Experiment supplied lighting and rigging infrastructure and crew, while 4Wall Entertainment provided video equipment and on-site support to fulfil the creative brief. “Colour Sound Experiment and I have a long-standing history, all our artists go through them, depending on availability,” EZ explained. “I’ve been looking to work with 4Wall for a long time, but I’ve been waiting for the right opportunity, and they came through en force and went above and beyond to support the vision of the show.
Words: Jacob Waite
Photos: Phoebe Fox (@shotbyphox) and Karolina Wielocha
