Four years ago last month, Glasgow handed a warm welcome to MIKE, whose Scottish debut came just days before the country plunged into the first lockdown. An emerging voice in alternative rap, the 21-year-old stood somewhat mawkishly on stage in the basement of a vegan café, performing for a select group of underground hip-hop heads as if he believed the crowd required a fair deal of winning over.

Six albums and one pandemic later, MIKE made his second visit to the city, armed with dozens of co-signs from a host of respected rappers and producers who appear to have left the soft-spoken wordsmith with a well-earned sense of assurance in his abilities. While MIKE hasn’t lost any of the mild-mannered charm that initially helped him carve out a space in a busy industry, he now raps with a delectable sense of pride, his shoulders appearing more relaxed as he beams down at the Southside crowd.

Just as in 2020, MIKE is once again propped up by his trusted friend and collaborator, Jadasea. Keen to share the love, MIKE can’t wipe the grin off his face as he takes control of the decks for his pal’s warm-up duties, and later in his headline slot he barely lets two songs pass without thanking Jadasea and the opener, Mark William Lewis. Though it can be easy to lose concentration in his tightly packed, wordy raps, MIKE retains audience attention with singalong fan favourites from his ever-growing discography, such as ‘Hunger’, ‘no, no’ and the Sister Nancy-inspired ‘Stop Worry!’

In typically polite and grateful fashion, he signs off by showing appreciation for his family and friends; the sound guy; the merch guy; the bartenders; the security staff (‘cause they not the police’); and the nation of Scotland. He delivers his final bars from the floor, safe in the company of a sold-out crowd who appear to fill their adopted son with a genuine and contagious sense of contentment. 

MIKE reviewed at The Rum Shack, Glasgow; main picture: Ari Marcopoulos.