Don Toliver's 'Love Sick' Tour: Live in London

Emerging as an unlauded standout amongst music’s elite, Don Toliver is nothing if not consistent. From his past but never-forgotten studio debut Donny Womack, Toliver seems to casually possess the necessary formula for longevity. Unlike many on the extensive list of industry rap titans who have come and briskly gone, Toliver has honed a crucial impression for catchy, bassy production - and an industry Rolodex that's seen him collaborate on some of the year's most admired and anticipated features. Securing a tenured notoriety as a primary cross-over rap talent, Toliver’s alternative trap ballads were brought live to London’s OVO Arena, selling out its Saturday stint of the ‘Love Sick’ Tour. This is the artist's second major international run, hitting over 30 cities across North America and Europe.

Unsurprisingly the artist has a catalogue of unsung hits almost too lengthy to mention in totality - a sticky challenge to navigate in Toliver’s ‘Love Sick’ presentation. Compressing the set to a 20-track list narrowly missed a handful of much-desired hits and bonafide bangers from the talent's hefty archive. Nonetheless, Toliver’s reasonably timed and energetic solo display set the tone for standard mosh pitting in the standing scene - a primal outburst at any Donny gig. The seductive set design, fizzy pyrotechnics, and remarkable scale of Toliver's ‘Love Sick’ signal like marked collateral in the invested transition of Toliver from an international artist to a global star. With ticket prices starting from an approachable £40, Toliver’s neatly packaged performance was easily a rational investment boasted on London’s crammed calendar of worthy and pricey tour dates.

While the argument of Toliver’s persistence as a top talent is not up for debate, the jazzy lighting design and hype of the moment still leave a little to be desired of the Houston native. And though it feels like an unencumbered request - this challenge hinges on the artist's ability to channel his natural innovation and nurtured finesse; to perhaps collate an immersive experience and presence comparable to stage mavericks like Ye and Kendrick Lamar. Still, it was hard to resist belting any of Tolvier’s signatures, highlighting the proficient remodeling of his autograph fuzzy studio vocals to a stage performance. Assembling a mix of the more vibrant selection of trap-dense tracks, hearing ‘Heaven and Hell’ through to some fundamental gems of its successors - the ‘Love Sick Tour’ was a refreshing high to curb the sharpness of the summer come down.

3.5/5