For London’s teen clout-chasers, part-time Supreme flippers and adult Odd Future fans, Saturday was a big day. That morning, just before midday, came a tweet: “LONDON, IGOR, 3pm.” That’s right. Some four years after being banned from the UK by then Home Secretary and now Prime Minister Theresa May, Tyler, the Creator slunk back into the country with very little forewarning.
By the time 1PM came around, he’d thrown a location into the mix – Peckham venue Bussey Building, an art space, immediate go-to-night-out-spot for gurning art students and probably the only sizeable venue south of the Thames that could house an impromptu comeback rap show. And yet… it wasn’t to be.
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Perhaps Tyler, his team or those at Bussey Building misjudged exactly how many people would trot down to southeast London in the two hours that passed between Tyler sending his tweet and the stage time. Everyone from Louis Vuitton artistic director Virgil Abloh to local kids headed down to squeeze in a bit of fun between studying for their GCSEs.
However, while the show was eventually cancelled due to a “rowdy” crowd, nothing kicked off beyond people climbing up walls to get a better view. People were polite, friendly. Most were just confused: had the show really been cancelled, what was going on and why had security penned everyone in? Later, several fans headed to Brixton’s O2 Academy venue, where it was presumed Tyler might be playing a rescheduled show, since a sign outside the venue spelled “IGOR”. Nothing happened in the end, but he has since announced a UK tour, with plans to play the venue on the 16th and 17th of September.
Photographer Jake Lewis was down in Peckham to take some photos of what went down.
