Popcaan, also lovingly known as the Unruly Boss by his fans, has done it – he finally was able to pull off a London based edition of his popular Unruly Fest event after years of having this feat on his wishlist.
Usually taking place in Jamaica, Popcaan has wanted to stage a version of the show in the UK capital for a while now and has finally achieved this- picking a very sunny 25 degree day in which to do it.
Hosted as part of South Facing Concert series, the one day event at South London’s Crystal Palace Bowl attracted thousands of dancehall fans who were offered a once in a lifetime day of fun.
With DJ sets from Selecta Jay, Jay Knox & Big Man Zest and Rampage Sound throughout the day before Spice and Popcaan took to the stage in the evening, fans had a variety of options to choose from with regards to food and drink – with those wanting to stick to the Jamaican theme being able to choose from Wray and Nephew, jerk wraps and fried fish, and those looking for other cuisines also having options too.
Queen of the Dancehall Spice offered fans an exciting, bold and raunchy set as she dominated the stage dressed in blue alongside her dance crew who put professional strip pole dancers to shame with their skills.
From “Romantic Mood” to “So Mi Like It”, “Round Round”, “Romping Shop” and “Conjugal Visit”, Spice belted out her hits. The dancehall star also invited fans on stage to dance with her to her infamous song “Sheet” which created many viral moments thanks to characters who took part.
Later Spice welcomed the likes of Bambi, Amy Luciani and Lil Scrappy on stage for a performance of a track from the Cyphers from the A Love & Hip-Hop: Atlanta cast album before closing the show with a message of appreciation to her fans and a performance of the Shabba Ranks sampling hit “Needle Eye”.
Quickly after Spice left the stage, the crowd were told to standby for Popcaan and when he finally did arrive, Popcaan filled the park with his ad libs – constantly asking the crowd to repeat, “woiyoi”, “unruly” and more back to him.
From “Good Times” to “Never Sober”, “Party Shot”, “Ravin”, “Numbers Don’t Lie’”, “Addicted”, “Clarks”, “Only Man She Want”, “Firm and Strong” and “Silence” to “Family”, “Unruly Bad” and “Nah Idle”, Popcaan alongside his live band offered energetic renditions for both casual Popcaan listeners and his most loyal fans.
With the safety of his fans his number one concern, Popcaan did his best to aid security and paramedics when needed by stopping his set to point out possible scuffles and medical urgencies. When the crowd’s energy became uneasy, Popcaan was a true professional and offered reassurance, humour and good energy – making sure to end the night on a good note.
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