Glastonbury 2023: Loyle Carner brings out Youth MP Athian Akec
Over the weekend, this year’s edition of the Glastonbury Festival has garnered a lot of momentum, but very few acts have matched the intensity of the moving performance delivered by UK rapper, Loyle Carner.
During his slot over at the West Holts, Carner brought out Youth MP Athian Akec while talking about knife crime in the UK in relation to his song ‘Blood on My Nikes’, a track that marked a cornerstone of his most recent album Hugo.
Made in collaboration with Akec and Wesley Joseph, the song was featured on his 2022 album Hugo which earned him widespread critical acclaim.
During a conversation about Hugo with Hypebeast, Carner said: “Everyone knows what it feels like to be othered in some way. There’s a spectrum of severity, but everyone knows what it’s like to be in a situation, and you’re the odd one out. Whether it’s your hair, skin colour, glasses, sexual preferences – whatever.”
The musician added: “This album is true to me. But we must come together as a collective and hold people accountable for ignorance and mistakes. I want us to be able to call things out, give advice and teach people how to not make the same mistake twice.”
At Glastonbury, Carner used his platform to discuss the seriousness of the rapidly deteriorating political situation: “Athian said it better than any Tory ever could, ever will. It’s easy to say fuck the Tories, but it’s negative.”
He continued: “My energy is better spent on people like Athian; I don’t give a fuck about the last generation; I’m bothered about the next one. Fuck. The. Tories.”
Watch a clip from his performance below.
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