Primavera Review: Swet Shop Boys

Swet Shop Boys dominated Primavera’s Pitchfork stage with a performance that was nothing less than flawless. They brought some much-needed energy to the final day of the festival, with their concoction of grime and hip-hop with a powerful message.

The trio includes New York rapper Heems (Himanshu Kumar Suri), Riz MC (Rizwan Ahmed) and Producer Redinho. Heems is well-known in the States for his work with Brooklyn-based hip-hop group Das Racist, whilst Riz has been making a name for himself worldwide for his roles in British black comedy, Four Lions (2010), Star Wars: Rogue One (2016) and current HBO series, The Night Of. Personal projects aside, the combo of these three artists has culminated in a no-holds-barred album, Cashmere (2016), which addresses intolerance, racism and religious prejudices particularly towards the Muslim community. Their lyrics are a discourse on the experiences of a British-Pakistani raised in London alongside those of an Indian-American born and bred in Queens, New York. Riz’s sharp London wit is blended with US hip-hop and backed by some South Asian samples, resulting in a melting pot of addictive tracks.

On stage, no time is wasted as they blast straight into ‘Zayn Malik’, taken from their debut album. For anyone unfamiliar with the group, the tight raps are a sudden realisation of just how many talents Riz possesses. His piercing eyes warn revellers to get involved as he consumes the crowd with his overflowing energy, helping many forget about the three day fatigue weighing them down.   

This project is not only about music: spreading socio-political awareness clearly takes centre stage, with the hip-hop making the subject-matter more digestible. Drawing from their recently recorded material, ‘Shottin’, the group presents a cutting insight into the discrimination and police intolerance of Muslims. ‘No Fly List’ has a distractingly slick tempo, but a closer listen uncovers a politically-charged jab at bigotry and preconceptions. Riz waves his Nikes in the air as the infectious beat of ‘Shoes off’ gets the crowd bouncing. Its lyrics push boundaries as it boldly broaches the controversial topic of recruitment for extremist groups. The mood is lightened a bit with ‘Tiger Hologram’, revealing the group’s talents as comedians, as well as musicians.

Just when it feels as though things are coming to an end, there is a sudden change in tone. Riz is left on stage alone and proceeds to unleash a thought-provoking piece of spoken-word poetry on the unsuspecting crowd. It was an indisputable highlight of the night. ‘Sour Times’ is an ode to his community and how the current media portrayal of many immigrants is affecting them, “In these sour times, please allow me to vouch for mine.” He tackles the reasons why young people might be driven to commit terrorist attacks, “They're misguided, turned violent, strapped themselves up with bombs. But they're still cowards, cause they ain’t here when the backlash is on.” The atmosphere is tense during this emotionally-powerful performance.

They pick things up again with ‘Aaja’, bringing a bit of Bollywood-style romance to the show, with a combination of English and Hindi lyrics. Wrapping things up with ‘T5’, they leave the crowd on a high. Food for thought and fun sums up the experience nicely. Swet Shop Boys are definitely one to watch out for.