Kae Tempest: 8 of our favourite performances
Kae Tempest is a lot of things. They’re a poet, a playwright, a musician, a performer and an author. But far from a Jack of all trades, they’ve effortlessly become a master of all they’ve tried their hand at.
This month, it’s in the guise of author that we welcome Kae to the Southbank Centre, as they join us to discuss their new non-fiction book, On Connection. But ahead of that event we just couldn’t fight the bug to watch Kae perform, and if we’re going to lose a few hours of our day down an internet rabbit hole of powerful poetry performance, then frankly we’re taking you with us.
Make yourself a drink, settle in comfortably, and enjoy these videos as much as we did; here are eight of our favourite Kae Tempest performances.
‘Best Intentions’, Lizard Lounge, 2009
Kae was barely 20 when they began making a name for themself on the spoken word poetry circuit. This video from 2009 comes from the Lizard Lounge, as Kae steps up to the stage, introduced by fellow South East London wordsmith Scroobius Pip, to read ‘Best Intentions’ with an intensity that would become something of a trademark.
‘Lines in The Sand’, The Birds Nest, 2010
Throughout a career of remarkable success Kae has always remained connected to their South London routes; their upbringing in Brockley resonates through their words now just as it did back at the beginning. And so to acknowledge that here’s a performance recorded on the roof of The Bird’s Nest pub in Deptford, a stone’s throw from where Kae grew up. This, the video for ‘Lines in The Sand’, also features footage of Kae on Deptford High Street.
Unknown, Meltdown, 2011
“I understand it’s Sunday afternoon and it can all get a bit intense sometimes in my work… well… there’s not much I can do about that I’m afraid, they’re all in a similar vein”.
Imagine being able to see Kae Tempest for free, on a Sunday afternoon, whilst you’re sitting in a deckchair. Well, in 2011 you could as Kae made their first appearance at the Southbank Centre – appearing on the Bandstand Busking stage in The Clore Ballroom – as part of Ray Davies’ Meltdown.
‘Circles’, Mercury Music Prize, 2014
Just three years on from bringing some intensity to a Sunday at the Southbank Centre Kae’s debut album Everybody Down saw them nominated for the Mercury Music Prize. Though the record didn’t win – beaten by Young Fathers’ Dead – Kae did offer up this memorable performance of Circles at the awards bash.
‘Ballad of a Hero’, NPR Tiny Desk Concert, 2015
One of the reasons we love Kae is that they don’t do low-key. It doesn’t matter the size of the audience or the stage, you can be sure that Kae isn’t going to phone in a performance. As a case in point, check out the passion of their performance of ‘Ballad of a Hero’ in this special Tiny Desk Concert for US radio station NPR.
‘People’s Faces’, Glastonbury, 2017
If you want a marker of the power of Kae’s poetry, then this video from Glastonbury 2017 offers just that. It’s one thing to connect with an audience in a small indoor club, but how about a performance so powerful that it connects and resonates with an entire field of folk? Well, that’s exactly what this emotional performance of ‘People’s Faces’ achieved.
‘Don’t fall In’, Mercury Music Prize, 2017
Another year, another Mercury Prize nomination. In late 2016, Kae released their second studio album, Let Them Eat Chaos, and just like their debut, by the time the next Mercury came around, there it was on the shortlist. This time Sampha took the prize, but once again Kae took the plaudits for a mesmerising performance at the ceremony.
‘Holy Elixir’, 6 Music Festival, 2020
It’s easy to think of 2020 year as a completely barren gig-less year, but back at its start, before we all retreated safely indoors, there were live performances in front of audiences to be cherished. And Kae delivered one of them; performing at The Roundhouse as part of the BBC 6Music Festival, with typical passion. This pulsating performance of ‘Holy Elixir’ in particular is more than worth revisiting.
Kae Tempest: On Connection