A$AP Mob

The Warehouse Project’s classic Store Street venue played host as Harlem’s A$AP Mob had the club, to borrow a phrase, going up on a Tuesday. And while the hyperactive mini-mobs of A$AP-merch wearing dudes hardly needed Hella Hoes to drop in order to lose their shit, the Mob’s entrance was all the more rowdy for it.

A$AP Rocky’s previous outing in Manchester came as he rocketed from obscurity into the big leagues. He sounded fresh. But the crowd know what Rocky’s about now, they’re eager to hear more from the rest of the Mob and so the weight of expectation is palpable. And mostly, the rappers’ efforts rewarded that expectation. Huge smoke cannons burst to life on every drop, and set-piece mosh pits were regularly instigated. They did the job; it was raucous. But on reflection, the group’s joint album L.O.R.D. – which got pushed back and back until it was eventually shelved – was probably the missing ingredient.

The biggest moments came when a member of the Mob took the limelight for themselves. A$AP Ferg had everyone bounce and holler for Shabba Ranks, and Rocky’s Goldie got each person between the bricks singing along. Nast and Twelvy – the lesser known of the four members on stage – did well to hold their own and keep the crowd moving. There was heaps of talent on stage, great tracks and some thrillingly unhinged moments – it was just the form of presentation rather than any lack of substance that took the shine off the performance. To Rocky’s credit, he didn’t try to dominate and gave a platform to his crew. But whether A$AP should continue in this incarnation depends on if they can underwrite it with a solid slew of group hits that’ll have the fans shouting for the Mob, not just Rocky or Ferg.