Copyright manchestereveningnews
Aitch, also known as Harrison Armstrong, posted on Instagram hours before his show promising Manchester a good night, and he thankfully delivered in spade loads. I’d been at a book signing earlier in Manchester, and this was certainly a change of pace, but from the moment I walked in, I was in awe of the atmosphere. It was like nothing I’ve ever seen before at Warehouse Project. People were screaming, desperate for the 25-year-old Manny man himself to come on stage. However, he had a stellar line-up of support acts to warm the crowd up for him, including Deed0t, K enzostr8drop, Kasst8, Pozer, and Mazza. The crowd went especially wild for Liverpool rapper Mazza, as the time Aitch was going to come on got closer and closer. And what an arrival he made, decked out in a red tracksuit adorned with his latest album cover, '4' on it, looking very dapper. He was four minutes early (was this purposeful because of his latest album name?) which was shocked about because rappers usually leave you waiting at least a little while but when I heard Bounce as the opening, I knew that Aitch hadn’t come to play. He came on stage ready to deliver the good night he’d promised everyone. Throughout the show, he commanded a lot of audience participation and he was getting Manchester to go wild. He played a mix of songs from his OG albums, and the newest songs, and every single one went down a treat. He was on stage for an hour and a half, and every single moment was magical. He played 1989, which was a nod to his Manchester heritage, and the crowd went wild when he played absolute bangers such as Strike A Pose, Buss Down, and Keisha & Becky. He also got Pozer back on the stage to perform TILL L4TE, which went down a storm as well, and then he sang Louis Vuitton, telling the crowd that if their man bought a chain before his first house, "he's doing it wrong". And if you thought costume changes were just for Lady Gaga, then you were oh so wrong, because this man from Moston changed out of his red tracksuit, claiming it was because he was "too hot". But he came back out on the stage in shorts and a gilet - a very stereotypically Manchester get up, complete with a cap, ready to sing 3am from his latest album. "Don't worry about nothing, we're about to get lit," he promised the crowd as everyone screamed at the top of their lungs. Then, he asked people in the crowd who was from Moston, before playing M40, which is a love letter to the streets he was brought up on. Aitch thanked people for coming, no matter whether they'd come five minutes down the road, or five hours, before reiterating to the crowd how Manchester is his "favourite place in the world" - and you can really see his passion for the city he grew up in as he rapped the lyrics to Close to Home. Then, there was a heartwarming moment when he sang 'My G,' which is about his sister, Gracie, who was diagnosed with Down syndrome. Gracie then came on the stage, astounding everyone as they didn't expect such a special appearance, and she told everyone to "have a good night". It was such a heartwarming moment between the brother and sister duo, and you can really tell how much love the pair have for each other, which I adore. Aitch then brought out AJ Tracey to sing Rain, which everyone went mad for. "I love every single person in this building," he gushed. After playing Taste, and Baby, which had everyone dancing like crazy (including me), Aitch suddenly told the crowd to "get home safe". I was convinced that he was going to perform an encore - but when the house lights went up, I knew that was the end of the night. The hour and a half had just passed so quickly, I couldn't believe it! There wasn't a moment in this homecoming gig where I willed time on at all; it was just a fantastic performance. Overall, it was such an amazing night, and I'd definitely see Aitch again when he comes to Manchester. Every time he's on 0161 soil, he brings the vibes, and I can't fault him.
