In celebration of the release of his critically lauded, Mercury Prize nominated album hugo, revered wordsmith Loyle Carner reinterpreted the record for a very special live performance at the esteemed Royal Albert Hall in October 2023. Now the artist announces that the sold-out, one-off show will be available to stream and purchase on CD and vinyl on May 24.
The soul-stirring live performance of “A Lasting Place” is available to listen to and also accompanied by a live video, which you can check out below.
An incomparable live-performer and creative virtuoso, Carner’s Royal Albert Hall show – which coincided with his 29th birthday – saw an array of very special guests including Athian Akec, Jordan Rakei and JNR Williams, and an electrifying live-band, join for a truly immersive show in storied surrounds.
Carner says “Whilst touring hugo for the last couple years I noticed that the music began to change as the shows went on. I wanted to catch a snapshot of their evolution and document how alive and fluid the things we make are. A special way to spend my birthday.”
The young artist has undoubtedly had a meteoric rise to the top, culminating in the triumphant release of hugo, which U.K. broadsheet The Observer described as a “masterpiece” and gave a full 5 stars, charting at number 3 in the UK Album Chart. A 10-track compendium of urgent delivery and gloriously widescreen production, Carner confronts both the deeply personal and the highly political. Cinematic in scale and scope, “hugo” is both a rallying war cry for a generation forged in fire and a study of the personal internal conflict that drives the rest of the album – as a mixed-race Black man, as an artist, as a father and as a son.
With multiple Mercury and Brits nominations, NME Awards and appearances in global brand campaigns (such as New Balance, Nike, YSL), across a 10 year career Carner has become one of the UK’s most respected and admired artists. In 2023 alone he graced massive festival shows and venues across the UK and beyond, including Wembley OVO Arena in London, followed by a string of packed out festival appearances, including a headline slot at Glastonbury’s West Holts stage, Primavera Sound and Reading and Leeds Festival.
Loyle Carner has also been announced as a headliner for 2024’s All Points East. His only London live date for 2024 and his biggest yet, he’ll be playing on Saturday 17 August, joined by special guests including Nas, André 3000, Lianne La Havas, Ezra Collective and Flying Lotus across the East, West and North stages that Carner himself has curated.
Pre-order Hugo Reimagined (from the Royal Albert Hall).
