Yesterday The Warehouse Project returned to Manchester after 618 days due to the COVID 19 pandemic forcing the cancellation of events in 2020. Not only was this the first event back, it was also at a new home for The Warehouse Project, Mayfield Depot, a huge derelict warehouse, next to the new street food complex, Freight Island.
I’d been in Manchester all afternoon after a bit of a craft beer trail (review coming soon) and I wanted to be at the barrier so I joined the queue of 90% girls an hour before doors open, my plan didn’t follow through. Just as I was about to enter I was stopped as the sniffer dogs thought I had drugs on me, it must have a good nose, I’ve not touched drugs in years. I was searched and eventually got in but the barrier was packed so I went and bought a small can of shit IPA for £5.50. The venue was a bit surreal, a huge space that made me feel like that episode of Skins.
I managed to get third row and enjoyed sassy ShyGirl who performed a half hour set that included material from the ALIAS EP, older material and latest single BDE as she ramped the young crowd up with her electro-pop bangers.
The legendary Princess Nokia followed with a mix of pop hits and her rap tunes that blended nicely. The queer artist is all about empowerment and she continued to encourage the crowd to respect the trans community and ensure the environment was a safe space for all whilst dropping party tunes.
Chart-topping rapper Tion Wayne came next. The Londoner who recently joined Stormzy on stage at his Reading Festival headline set and features on the remix version of Ed Sheeran’s Bad Habits. There was an influx of lads who piled down to the front as the rapper entered the stage and performed his hits with venom, the crowd sang each word back with the same energy. There's a huge future ahead for Tion. 3 songs in and I gave up my spot down front and went for a pint before Megan came on.
At 10pm Houston’s finest Megan Thee Stallion bounced on stage, flanked by dancers and a DJ set. My expectations were high, I’d been looking forward to this one for a while and it was slightly underwhelming. The production wasn’t the strongest, especially for such a large venue. It felt like an intimate set up for an artist worthy of big stages. It wasn’t just the production that was a bit lackluster, the performance didn't live up to my high expectations. Megan has become one of the biggest artists in the world over the past 2 years thanks to her feature on Cardi B’s iconic WAP and the Grammy award-winning Savage remix featuring Beyonce. Her other hits include Hot Girl Summer with Nicki Minaj & Ty Dolla Sign and Cry Baby with Da Baby. Unfortunately, it was the features, mostly sang by the crowd dominated the show.
I went to see Megan rap and that didn’t happen enough, even her bangers without features such as Body and Thot Shit relied on backing tracks and dancing rather than bars from one of the most exciting rappers of the time which is really disappointing. Maybe if the production was a little more extravagant she could have got away with it as she’s got the hits, the energy and the crowd loved every moment but I just expected more. It wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t great. I’m just happy I got to see WAP live, that was a moment.
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