Review: Central Cee Brings Headline Home To Shepherd’s Bush

Central Cee’s headlining show last night was much more than a fun appearance for his fans. It was almost a headline performance for himself; one that he shared with his live audience.  

Once you walked into the venue, you felt a certain energy in the air. It seemed as though the attendees were waiting on Central Cee’s presence, knowing how significant it was for the rapper to be performing in his hometown. 

At the peak of his – still relatively new – music career, the West Londoner circled back to O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire and hit the stage with the best of his catalog. The crowd welcomed him with screams, flash lights from their iPhones and the word-for-word chanting of every rhyme.  

We were all on a high as the rapper kicked the night off with his high-energy “Day In The Life” track. The very single that put him on the UK’s radar. I caught myself locking closely into Cench as he manouvered the stage. It was all so surreal and you could see it in how he moved. For every hit that followed – honourable mentions to “Loading”, “6 For 6”, “Little Bit Of This” and “Commitment Issues” – the roaring crowd just got louder and louader.  

The love from his vast number of supporters didn’t go unnoticed by the emcee either. In between songs, he spoke quite candidly to the fans, extending his gratitude and bigging up his pocket of London! 

What’s a big show without a big surprise? Not only did the Wild West native put on an engaging performance but he sent us into a frenzy when bringing South London’s Dave out. They shared the staged as “Clash” (featuring Stormzy) blared through the speakers and even gave the night a wholseome touch as they hugged whilst publicly giving eachother their respective flowers. 

Making waves since his appearance on the “Ain’t On Nuttin” remix, back in 2015, it’s safe to say that last night was a full circle moment for Central Cee. What’s more is he brought this win back to his home turf – it doesn’t get more gratifying than that, does it? 

More of Central Cee here.