When I got the opportunity to review artists at this year’s Live At Leeds I was asked if anything jumped out that I wanted to cover.
Casisdead was the first name that I saw. Randomly nestled in amongst Willie J Healy and English Teacher at the Beckett Student Union, Cas was in peculiar company tonight.
Casisdead is riding high off the back of his long-awaited debut studio album ‘Famous Last Words’ for which the Tottenham artist won a Brit Award. The release saw the masked enigma marry his captivating and gritty tales of sex, drugs and debauchery over luscious 80s synth-wave-inspired instrumentals – building a dystopian but equally compelling world where Casisdead cements himself as one the finest artists to have risen out of the Grime and UK Rap scene.
For many UK rappers, the seeds of their craft were sown in the live setting, building audiences organically via pirate radio sets, YouTube freestyles and cyphers. Cas is a luminary of the grime scene that has produced some of our most vivacious and dynamic live performers. As expected, he gave Live at Leeds a masterclass in the art of MC-ing.
Casisdead and his DJ Mystry arrived on stage bang on time and proceeded to weave between various genres – opening with the Conducta remix of his song ‘Steptronic’ and telling the large but mainly subdued audience “we’re gonna go straight in with the energy, Leeds!”
Taking the audience through a quick history lesson in UK music, we see Cas demonstrate his dexterity as an MC, rapping over classic grime instrumentals like Mystrys own ‘Pulse 8’ and old school dubstep bangers like Bengas 26 Basslines and Eastern Jam by Chase & Status.
He previewed a particularly heavy, unreleased drum and bass track – shouting out Goldie for the production, which seemed to fly over people’s heads a little. Perhaps being straddled by English Teacher and Willie J might have been a slightly poor programming decision by the promoters, but nevertheless, as a huge fan of Casisdead and grime, I think his performance is amazing.
As the show continued, Cas repeatedly joked about letting “the real musicians” get back on stage and how he should’ve brought a guitar with him. When he started running through tracks like Venom and Traction Control, the mood in the room picked up. By the time we got to his final track Pat Earrings which he dedicated to “all of the sex workers”, I would say he’d won over the room.
Whilst Casisdead is evidently at home on stage – having toured extensively over the years – perhaps such a band-orientated festival isn’t the best place to see him perform. One bit of advice I’d give would be not to miss seeing him if you ever have the chance. He is every bit as enigmatic and compelling in person as he is on his recordings.
Master Peace (photography by Jazz Jennings)
Having made the pilgrimage to my favourite Leeds venue, the Brudenell Social Club, it was time to grab a beer and get settled in at the side of the stage to see the next act – one I’ve seen a few times prior and that I have actually performed before, a few years back (shameless boast).
South West London native Master Peace (real name Peace Okezie) is bringing about a renaissance of sorts – his scintillating brand of nostalgic nu-indie combines the riffy guitar lines and catchy hooks of old school indie bands with elements of rap, electronic pop and punk. His 2024 debut album How To Make A Master Peace, along with a string of notable singles and features, has cemented Okezie as one of the most exciting, energetic and diverse young talents the UK currently has.
Coming straight off stage at the Co-Op Live in Manchester after performing with The Streets and Kasabian on their UK Arena tour, he arrived on stage ready to demonstrate why he’s indie’s hottest new party-boy.
Master Peace, his guitarist and drummer all looked to be having a great time as the three- piece ripped through tracks from Okezie’s discography, drawing in a large crowd who he repeatedly asked “are we partying tonight, or what Leeds?”
At multiple points, he entered the crowd, riling the younger-looking audience up into a complete frenzy.
Under the shimmer of a disco ball, the crowd indulged in his brand of indie that brought to mind artists like Bakar, Bloc Party, LCD Soundsystem and The Dare with a riotously youthful spring in his step. I would say Master Peace is one of the most energetic live performers I’ve seen in recent years.
It’s great to see such variety in the programming at Live at Leeds. For a festival that seems quite indie-orientated, seeing artists like Casisdead and Master Peace in the lineup was a real bonus.
Main image: Cassisdead.
Cassisdead photography by Mark Wheelwright.
Master Peace photography by Jazz Jennings.
