Start-Track at the Show: Murkage Dave + Kamran Khan + Nadeem Din-Gabisi at Village Underground

MARCH 3, 2026 — It’s a brisk Spring night in East London. I’ve filled up on what is purported to be one of the best burgers in this illustrious city (although the delicious Cajun fries were actually the standout for me) in preparation for the night ahead.

I’ve made my way to the husk of an old Victorian warehouse now known as Village Underground. The venue is unmarked, which is supremely unhelpful. (What, because we’re in Shoreditch, we’re too cool for signage? I mean, really? Come on guys, get the fuck over yourselves.) But eventually, I find it and make my way in. It’s smaller than I remember. Although having only been here once before and having got quite drunk that night, that might not be saying a great deal. 

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First on the agenda for tonight is Nadeem Din-Gabisi, who is a new act to me. Clad in what looked – from a distance – like a monkey mask, his set begins with spoken word samples from an African immigrant (presumably a family member) about his perception, as an immigrant, of his life in England. This quickly morphs into a mélange of warped jungle-esque beats and electronic sonic warfare. A Lord Kitchener sample makes a brief appearance (big ups to “London Is The Place For Me”) and eventually Nadeem takes to the mic. Like a combination of the early, militant attitude of Kojey Radical and the spunky, punky rebellious spirit of Slowthai, Nadeem is confrontational and questioning in his approach to making music. 

He removes his mask as he manipulates an Alicia Keys sample, the unmistakable chorus to “Fallin'” forming the backdrop to his next piece entitled “I Land”. He asks the audience if they’ve ever fallen in and out of love and all of a sudden we all look collectively sheepish. He yells off-mic, recording as he does so and weaponizes his voice, using it as an impactful instrument. He teases us in this way for a while and when the beat eventually kicks in, it does so with gusto and shakes the foundations of the venue. “Everything comes and goes”, he repeatedly tells us over an absolutely infectious rhythm. He whips out a flute (because why not?) and absolutely goes to town on the poor thing, blending pioneering electronic textures with traditional acoustic instrumentation with skill and artistic flair. 

He asks the audience another question: “What makes you happy?” He is answered with “Music, Murkage and beer”. Fair enough, considering where we are. He explains the forthcoming song – “B Happy” – is taken from his 2025 album Offshore and is about people who don’t want other people to be happy. He utilises the looper again on this one to excellent effect, layering vocals that come together slowly like a magic-eye for the ears. Eventually he drops a banging donk on it and the vocalisations give way to more of his observational street-level social commentary. I can’t help but notice that his fluctuating flow is, at times, reminiscent of early College Dropout/Late Registration-era Kanye West. 

In between this track and the next he explains that a lot of his songs are about his complicated relationship with this island and his perspective as someone who comes from another one (Sierra Leone). The next song – “Pub Lunch” – requires a bit of audience participation. “Pale touch, punch drunk, pond life, pub lunch” goes the chorus of the song, which we dutifully contribute to. The song appears to be a somewhat scathing assessment of England’s sometimes rather toxic pub culture, nationalist bitterness and our traditional penchant for excess.

He asks us to imagine running before the next song begins. He even plays the Chariots Of Fire theme to help us out. In our mind’s eye we gallop gracefully in slo-mo, like Hasselhoff along the shore. Din-Gabisi plays more spoken word pieces in the intro and they come together like a collage before the beat kicks in. When it does, it’s in keeping with the tone of his set so far, but for this track he deviates from behind his assortment of electronic devices and gets a little closer to the audience. In time he dons a crown. An investigation into the lyrics explains why, as “Chariots” is ostensibly about colonialism and standing for something. In due course he finds himself back behind the desk as we tumble further down his rabbit hole of sound for one more song before he finishes abruptly to a round of appreciative applause.

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Up next is guitarist and singer/songwriter Kamran Khan. A major contributor to the recent Murkage Dave album (which you can read about here), he has been instrumental (no pun intended) in shaping the sound of Dave’s most recent output. 

Tonight he’s pulling double duty, playing a solo set as support as well as appearing later as part of Dave’s band. Kamran is accompanied for his set solely by Lucci Rossi on keys. 

He opens with “Good Night”. A tender ballad with moments of wild, flailing beauty. It’s reserved for the most part, but when it takes off, it really soars. Explosive, emotive and earnest, you can tell that he’s spent a considerable amount of time around Amber Bain.

Funnily enough, the studio version of the next song features The Japanese House (Amber’s artistic nom de plume, for those who don’t know). “Personally” is similarly heartfelt and stark in its musical arrangement. Lucci performs backing vocals on this one and I can very much imagine Amber doing so just as effectively, if not more so. It’s a stunning, striking piece of work and with this minimal set-up, it’s impossible to deny. Kamran’s guitar playing compliments his tenor vocal parts perfectly, and the way they sync up is truly impressive. 

The next song is a prior single entitled “Adventures In Monotony” and begins with a Rhodes-esque tone from Lucci’s keyboard. When Kamran’s guitar does come in the two blend seamlessly, creating a wave of sweet sound. The melody is angular and jaunty, and as such it feels a bit like a combination of The Smiths and Talking Heads. 

“Is it OK if we stay here tonight / where the air is terrified?” Kamran sings as the next song begins, a capella and even more striking than the song that preceded it. He sings about how he “gave up the booze / but I’m getting drunk on other things” over a melody that feels familiar and comforting but is also impossible to place. “Diamond Ring” is as yet unreleased and, like the rest of the set, it’s sparse, strong and simple. But God, is it good. 

“Texas In The Rain” is up next, which was written in Texas whilst it was raining, believe it or not. An Americana-infused number, it features Kamran finger-picking for what I think was the first time. It’s a soothing sound that doesn’t feel out of place in the grand scheme of things yet feels, at the same time, different to everything else so far. It concludes with a surprising sequence of chords that feel like they barely belong together, but somehow, Kamran makes it work. The Rhodes sound return for Parody and Kamran lays down his guitar. “Baby, what’s wrong?” begins the ballad as Kamran commands the room using only the barest of utensils. The last song is Dance For You, a song they’ve never played before. It feels classic in its approach to melody and structure and like it came from another time. 

Executed with assuredness and conviction, Kamran’s set feels like a precursor of bigger things to come.

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Taking to the stage through a haze of smoke and bathed in the glow of a gang of spotlights, Murkage Dave and band are met with rapturous applause.

Flanked by the aforementioned Kamran Khan on guitar and his pencil bandmate Tomi Tamaski on drums, Dave is suited, booted, and ready to go. 

He begins with “Swordfight In A Chicken Shop”. Beaming from ear to ear, Dave seems almost as happy to be her as the crowd does. Very quickly, his energy becomes unshackled as he discards the microphone stand in order for more freedom. Decked out in his now familiar grey suit, he prowls the stage like a paranoid panther, his stage presence agitated, urgent and undeniable. The song takes on new life live. 

An anthem from his second album, “Us Lot” follows, and the tone is smooth and assured. His energy seems immediately more subdued on this one, like day and night when compared to the vibe of the last song. “Remember, remember, it’s us lot that you’ve got” he sings, as the crowd chants along with him and it very much feels that way. 

After a brief chat with the audience about how much this show means to him, we launch into an old school cut. On “Magic Mission Deja Rinse”, Dave pours out his soul and the audience laps it up. Reminiscing about the past, Dave gets momentarily caught up in the present and becomes visibly overcome with emotion. It’s OK though, because collectively we rally around him and lift him up, and he locks back in. “Remember, remember, it’s us lot that you’ve got”.

“Awful Things” is up next. Surely one of his most approachable tunes, the bass drum pounds tonight as the live instrumentation blends with the backing track in this new live configuration. On this track Dave lets the rhythm take over him and the Caribbean in him comes out in spurts; at one point he almost launches into a bogle.

On the next tune, Dave is joined by frequent collaborator Kiddus and a boombox which provides the backing track. “Money Isn’t Real” is a modern anthem for the disillusioned, a soulful soundtrack to the cost of living crisis. The interplay between Dave’s vocals and Kiddus on this track really makes it; it’s impossible to imagine one without the other. 

Dave then drops the beat for “Same Old Spot” and my heart is in my mouth. Unquestionably my favourite Murkage Dave song, I had my back to the wall when he sang about having your back to the wall and it felt like the line was sung just for me. “11 out of 10 for that entrance, you gotta teach me how you do that” he sings, and it feels a bit like the room is being let in on the UK music scene’s best kept secret. The beastly beat goes right through you, and the rest of the instrumentation is subtle but perfectly poised. Dave sings about knowing he’ll be alright in the ad-libbed outro, and I remember that it’s necessary to start breathing again. 

“The Car Bomb” follows and is full of quintessential Dave anxiety and tension. With lines like “Am I rapping like I’m black enough?” and “I really need to speak to someone before my mind’s undone”, he looks inward but does so extremely outwardly. Its heart-on-sleeve stuff – as always with Dave – and it appears to touch every set of ears it falls on. 

He is rejoined by Kamran and Tomi for the psychedelic electronic sounds of “Friends And Family”. Moving like a stop-motion animation, Dave personifies the anxious, insecure thought processes that the song depicts. An interlude on the album, it’s over quickly, and is followed by “RNA”. In part a touching tribute to his recently departed father (“What am I gonna do with my Dad gone? God!” goes the first line), but also a comment on many, many other things. For the second time tonight Dave is overwhelmed. On the final line “I would give a limb for a little more time”, he breaks down in tears. Once again we are there for him, and we get through it together, powered by empathy and love. The band quickly launch into “Murkage Dave Changed My Life”, and it’s met with an almost religious-like reaction. Feeling distinctly like a celebration, it necessitates a massive sing-a-long, the most significant of the night thus far.

“Running Outta Road” is up next. With its tribal beat, it again brings out the dancer in Dave. He’s joined by multidisciplinary polymath Trainee (who is one of the unequivocal highlights of the recent Brut Thoughts album). “Want everything and need nothing”, he tells us in his deadpan drawl, and the sentiment feels rather appropriate right now. This new one is followed swiftly by an old one. “Keep Up The Bad Work” borrows the drums from the Clipse classic “Grindin'”, and tonight it sounds gargantuan. “All I wanted to do was make music, man”, Dave sings, and the significance of this homecoming gig immediately, instantaneously hits home. This is what it’s all about.

“Please Don’t Move To London It’s A Trap” is a modern classic: A heartwarming but also harrowing look at 21st century life in The Big Smoke. The stresses, the strains, and the struggles, but also the glimmers of hope and fun that slice through the despair and that keep us all going. Dave analyses the city’s demographics, fads, societal relationships, and everything in-between. It feels like a cautionary tale in real-time, like we’re living through a period that will go down as folklore. And all the same, it seems like a celebration of this incredible, diverse, ever-evolving city and all it has to offer. 

“All of the things that I wanted are fucking with the new shit I had”, goes the opening line of “Put You On My Shoulders”. One of the earliest songs Dave wrote, it’s another one that compels him to move. Like a boxer sparring with an invisible opponent, Dave bobs and weaves and cuts and fades. The song climaxes in an uncharacteristic – and somewhat surreal, almost scary – feeling, bursting with distortion and noise. 

“Putting On A Party” is up next, and is a frantic frenetic fever dream. Dave is joined by Kayus Bankole from Young Fathers, and the whole thing descends into chaos. As if that wasn’t enough, Mage Saint Hilare makes a guest appearance, incorporating an interpolation of his recent viral hit “In A Dance”. Manga shells like no one’s ever shelled before, and you remember just what a potent combination he and Dave make. (Be sure to check out their collaboration album, We Need To Look After Us). Meanwhile, Kayus is energy personified and the band are tight as fuck; the whole thing is an incredible, unforgettable spectacle. Essentially an “In A Dance” and “Putting On A Party” mash-up, this is the undeniable highlight of a night full of highlights. 

Dave is joined by Lauren Auder next for album closer “How To Subtly Disappear”. We don’t know for sure what the song is about, but Lauren sings “But I had to make a life for myself here and I know that there’s no way to disappear” over and over again. Considering the fact that she is a trans woman, you can’t help but feel like it takes on the role of a sort of anthem for the outsiders, the marginalised and belittled, the downtrodden and the damned, the toughest, most resilient of us all. Dave and Lauren end the song with an embrace that feels charged, meaningful, and beautiful and we suspect that our suspicions may be correct.

This song serves as the last one for the main set, but it is soon followed by an encore which starts with a cover of Roy Davis Jr.’s 1996 Chicago house classic “Gabriel”. With the band joined by GRAMMY-winning producer NARX on bass, it takes the shape of a post-punky number that feels different to the rest of the set. It’s a nice change of pace and goes down well with the audience, generating an instant party-like atmosphere. 

Another crowd pleaser follows with debut album cut “See Man Smile”, sounding as fresh as the day it was released eight years ago (which feels like a lifetime ago). It’s a novel fusion of styles – as a lot of Dave’s music is – and tonight, in the hands of this very capable band it feels in part almost Smiths-like. The band take it down towards the end, and as it combusts back into life, the rhythm feels almost calypso-esque; the sound of the Caribbean influence rearing its head again, perhaps.

The next song is another interpretation of the first, “Swordfight In A Chicken Shop”. But this is no normal version. Dave is joined by all of the night’s guest stars (except for Manga who is conspicuous in his absence), plus friends and family all wearing Murkage Dave masks (except Kayus who is clearly too cool for such antics, LOL). Like some kind of warped musical interpretation of Being John Malkovich, it feels distinctly like it could’ve been the concluding song. 

But alas, we’re treated to recent single “Generation Left On Read”, with KONOPINSKY’s (aka James-from-Yard-Act’s) part dialed in via backing track and Dave’s backing dancers remaining in attendance. “If you love it, do it” goes the chorus, and you get the impression that’s exactly what’s going on, both on stage and off.

And with that, it’s all over. Dave makes a short but impassioned speech about finding moments of joy in amongst the hardship of life, how precious they are, and how much they mean, and we couldn’t agree more.

Dave is playing some festivals over the summer, and if you’re lucky enough to be in a position to catch him, be sure that you do. As my daughter put it, “The vibes were immaculate”. There you have it, people. In a word: “immaculate”.

Written by Kinda Grizzly