Giv3n unmasked as he and Panna open for Jam Baxter
For the first time in his 4 years of performing, London-based Giv3n took off the balaclava as he and the Portsmouth-based Baby Panna opened for High Focus and Blah Records’ Jam Baxter presented by Tune In Events at The Loft in Southampton’s Bedford Place last Friday, 4th of February. Read on for the story, photos and videos.
Baby Panna was the first act to take the stage, with Word Of Mouth affiliate Peach Geez handling the wheels of steel. He kicked things off with a Panna classic in Murder She Wrote, then later got the crowd going with back-and-forth lyrics from tracks such as Six Figure N***a and the unreleased Leave Me The F Alone. Panna also discussed the trials and tribulations of growing up in the UK as a migrant child on Golden, which received an ovation from the audience.
Giv3n followed Panna on the supporting cast, wearing a full flight suit and a signature balaclava. Giv3n opened with Purple Panther, and needed to strip his torso after just that first track due to the heat on stage. Giv3n received a tremendous reaction from the crowd after his classic Dash It!, as the performer went crazy as ever in front of a South Coast audience experiencing Giv3n for the very first time. After Born in ‘98, the Southampton crowd were chanting “take it off, take it off” - in reference to Giv3n’s balaclava.
The masked rapper joked about taking off the balaclava as well as the remainder of his flight suit, stating “it’s never gonna happen”, immediately after asking “really, take off the bally?” Giv3n pulled off the balaclava and let out a signature roar before explaining to the audience “In my 4 years of making music, I’ve never taken off the bally so get a picture - this is history right here”. See below for a few short clips of Panna and Giv3n's performances.
Giv3n finished off his set maskless, and left a hyped up crowd ready as ever for the headlining Jam Baxter. Giv3n’s next show is at the Air n Electricity show titled Raege N Love, happening next Wednesday, 16th February, at the Fiddler’s Elbow in Camden. Panna's next show is the following Wednesday, 23rd February, at the Emporium Bar in Portsmouth.