SHOW REVIEW: Little Simz @ The Novo

Little Simz

Little Simz is an incredible British-born rapper, singer, and actress. Her tour in 2022 was supposed to stop in the U.S., including LA, but due to some mental health and financial issues she had to postpone. The time away allowed her to write NO THANK YOU, a beautifully-crafted album reflecting on her inner thoughts, which she performed on tour this time around.

Having never been to the Novo before I didn’t quite know what to expect, but I heard many positive comments about the venue. It is located a block or two away from the Crypto.com Arena and it felt absolutely criminal to take an Uber a mere 8-10 minute drive away, so my friend and I rode the metro bikes which took at maximum 15 minutes, and has become one of my favorite transportation experiences in LA thus far. We got to the venue after the opener (we both had late classes) so it was already crowded, and because we had regular GA tickets it was hard to find a spot with a good view. I wasn’t feeling too good about our standing placement because everyone seemed to tower above us, but the security guard who was in charge of checking floor tickets very kindly let us through to the floor and we had a fantastic view the majority of the show.

Little Simz’s critically acclaimed album Sometimes I Might Be Introvert was released in 2021, and she played many songs from this album at her show. The setlist featured some of my favorite tunes of hers including “Silhouette,” “I Love You,” “I Hate You,” “Venom,” “Gorilla,” “Point and Kill,” “Protect My Energy,” “101 FM,” and “Woman.” Little Simz describes her music as rap and experimental, but she includes inspiration from genres such as reggae, blues, synth-rock, and jazzy R&B. One of my favorite aspects of her show was her stage presence. She oozed swagger like nobody else I’ve seen live, and it was utterly infectious. The first half of her show was just her and a backing track which can sometimes not translate well to an audience, but she had great stage presence and really interesting and beautiful visuals that drew us in. The second half of the show featured her band, which was made up of two guys who were multi-instrumentalists (bass, guitar, and keys). Although it was her headline show and she is the main name on the tickets, Little Simz made sure to give them time to shine and acknowledge their contributions to the show. As an instrumentalist and performer myself, I think it is important and admirable when lead singers or solo acts give credit to those supporting them. 

Little Simz has definitely entered my top 10 concerts, and I spent the entire week following the show listening to her discography on repeat. For those interested in music featuring satisfying rhymes, heartfelt and significant lyricism, groovy beats, beautiful instrumentals, and Cleo Sol, Little Simz is up your alley. 

 – DJ Backstop AKA Shiloh Gonsky