THE SILHOUETTES PROJECT RESIDENCY SERIES @ THE HACKNEY SOCIAL 02.03.23
“THE SILHOUETTES’ RESIDENCY SHOW WITH CROSS THE TRACKS: the next three months of pop-up shows for the compelling collective of London’s freshest creatives.”
Thursday 2nd March saw fans from across the city gather and connect for the Silhouettes’ Showcase of their latest and greatest’s. With exclusive unreleased music, exciting collaborations, and a showcase of introspective up-and-comers, who pre-empted nothing but good music and good vibes all in preparation for their eagerly awaited debut at Cross the tracks this May.
The Hackney Social quickly filled up from the off, the smoking area outside buzzed as people spilled in and the crowd began to take their places in front of the stage. Erf Evil and Asher Kosher took to centre stage and welcomed the fans, introduced themselves and briefly what was in store for us that evening. Passion and charisma oozed from the MCs, presenting to the crowd Pedro retro to open the night.
Meron T was then eagerly ushered onstage by Asher and Jaden (Eerf Evil), “I guess it’s showtime” the South London singer charmed with us as her latest, soulful dance track ‘State of Mind’, the crowd melted into each other as Meron splashed colour on the walls, Hackney social had been ignited by this group of creatives’ infectious energy, guided through each track by outrageous claims on the decks. Safe to say showtime was well underway as East London rapper Kieron Boothe took to continue the vibes.
“Mr. Boothe is in the house.” Familiarizing the crowd with his artistry and a fan favourite, ‘No Regrets’, Kieron Boothe flowed with ease and poignancy as he narrated his introspective yet transferrable perspective as an up-and-coming, hustling artist. These themes of dedication to craft, feeling misunderstood in the world as a creative, and an all-round fruitful outlook on life, are so cleverly and intrinsically explored throughout the Silhouettes Project’s works. It was exciting to witness these artists articulating their passion and respect for music, their enthusiasm translating to us in the crowd with a nostalgic familiarity of friends gathered. It became clear to the audience that the vibes were on a trajectory, and with that we saw acts like Turt from Summers Sons, Natty Wylah, Nix Northwest and ENNY host the next 20 minutes of bars, laughs and guitars as the Silhouettes Band accompanied the remainder of the set.
We were invited to meet the family, ENNY and Nix Northwest making separate appearances on stage, tunes like ‘For South’ and ‘What U Need’ expected to be heard live again at Cross The Tracks this May, the crowd seeming particularly ecstatic for ENNY & Nix Northwest to be in the same room, teasing us with their newest release ‘You Ain’t Got a Chance Boy’, as well as being joined on stage by Purple Cloud, Keepvibesnear, Morgan Lorelle and the Silhouettes’ own Asher Kosher and Eerf Evil.
The collective performed some of their classics from Volume I, as well as long-awaited bangers from Volume II, this grass-roots level community thrived in the support and enthusiasm from their audience. Newcomers amongst the crowd were intoxicated with the contagious dynamism the artists exuded on stage, throughout the set a buzz bubbled over us with each jazz-infused instrumental was accompanied by soulful storytelling, the Hackney Social was a celebration of the creative diversity and deep-rooted passion that drives this community.
This was a poignant moment for Hackney born-and-bred/Silhouettes’ Co-Founder, Asher Kosher who took centre stage to remind us of the vision and prospects for this music community, with approximately 35 artists involved in the project, it’s safe to say this residency show series and Cross the Tracks are just the beginning of the stages, creative ground and traction conquered by this group in just a matter of years, with 2023 looking to be their most exciting yet.
Last Thursday provided a mere taster of what to expect throughout this series, The Silhouettes Project breaking new ground and prioritising quality over substance, this April to May and beyond.
Catch the Silhouettes Project at the next show, Thursday 6th April 2023. And because three’s a charm, save the date for their last warm-up show for Cross the Tracks this May, if you’d like to see these artists on a bigger stage and witness how they move and impress a wider audience, that the music has been anxiously waiting to reach.
Head to @thesilhouettesproject on Instagram for more info on upcoming events.
Words by Annie O'Leary
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