Island Life is coming back to London, with the news that the famous label will stage what’s intended to be the first in a series of gigs featuring its hottest up-and coming talent.
Island Life will be staged at the Scala venue in London on Monday, October 13, starring George The Poet and J.P. Cooper. Tickets for the cutting-edge night will go on sale this Friday (August 15).
George The Poet, otherwise known as north Londoner George Mpanga, combines poetry and rap to remarkable effect, as he’s proved on numerous appearances on BBC Radio 1, Channel 4, Sky TV and elsewhere. His YouTube views run to more than half a million already, and he won praise from none other than Nas recently after supporting him at his Village Underground show.
J.P. Cooper, meanwhile, has also built quite a fan base over the last two years, releasing three self-recorded EPs and then guesting with R&B star Angie Stone. All of that was before the Manchester-born artist, who signed to Island in May, released his new debut Island EP ‘Keep The Quiet Out.’ It’s already been heavily supported by Radio 1 DJ Huw Stephens and has helped J.P. sell out a nationwide tour. Hunger Magazine, Soul Culture, Shortlist and SBTV have all been early enthusiasts.
The last Island Life show was American hip-hop star Mac Miller’s sellout show at Plan B in Brixton, south London, last year; the label also staged a week of sold-out shows at Shepherd’s Bush Empire in the capital on 2009 to mark Island’s 50th anniversary, starring the likes of U2, Grace Jones, Sly & Robbie, Toots & the Maytals, Cat Stevens and Florence & The Machine.