Medium Build hosts a delightfully intimate pop-up show at Camden Assembly
The singer’s heartfelt acoustic set was followed by a lively after-show, making for a memorable night in Camden.
Photo: Press
Medium Build, aka Nick Carpenter, treated fans to a deeply personal and intimate evening at Camden Assembly as a warm-up for his upcoming gigs with TikTok sensation, Alex Warren. While Nick joked that he might be rusty due to having taken a two-month break from performing, fans were nevertheless treated to an unforgettable night.
The show was opened by soul-grunge artist and self-proclaimed “moody babe”, Ashaine White, who lit the room ablaze with her stellar vocals and showstopping guitar skills. The enthusiastic energy she emits on stage is utterly infectious. Let Me Down was a favourite, due in part to how she leveraged the crowd to create a backing chorus during the song’s impactful bridge. The way she connects with the crowd and her charismatic stage presence made for an excellent start to the night.
Not only was the opener a revelation, but she also turned out to be quite the lifesaver. See, I had made the ill-advised decision to go for a quick bathroom break between sets. Only to find on my return that the tightly packed crowd made navigating back to my well-placed viewing spot a near-impossible task. However, in swoops Ashaine, who took quick notice of my dilemma and helped me shuffle into a position with a nice window of the stage. Thanks to her, I was spared from a pain worse than death, spending the rest of the gig stuck behind a wall and some very tall men.
Medium Build’s set was a smorgasbord of old and new, as he trialled a series of recently written material with well-known fan favourites sprinkled in throughout the night. What became quickly apparent is that Nick is a truly special performer whose songs come alive on stage. Every song is delivered with unparalleled levels of passion and vulnerability. This committed delivery and the expectedly excellent lyricism were key in getting the audience on board for some of the new songs they may not have been familiar with. One of the best of this new bunch was Home Depot, an ode to men who will go to the ends of the earth to avoid confronting their emotions. Although Nick cheekily renamed the song B&Q for the night to appeal to the UK fans in the crowd.
At times, one could easily have been fooled into thinking Nick was performing a stand-up special as he rattled off humorous anecdotes and personal musings between songs. One of the most memorable moments of the night was, in fact, when Nick proceeded to pick up a spam call on stage and engaged in a short-lived exchange with a woman named Evelyn, leaving the crowd in stitches. Throughout the night, the audience spent as much time laughing at Nick’s signature laid-back jokey persona as they did cheering at his deeply emotive performances. The transition between the two was often abrupt and sudden, but never in a way that felt jarring. This balance of humour and heart is certainly one of his strengths as he disarms you with quips before his beautiful songwriting makes you cry.
Songs like John and Lydia, a reflective tune about finding empathy for your parents despite their flaws, took a new level of emotive power in this acoustic stripped-back format. Saving some of the best for last, the set drew to a close with a set of familiar favourites. Recent tracks White Male Privilege and Drug Dealer drew immense excitement from fans in equal measure. However, the enthusiasm only further crescendoed with a tremendous rendition of Never Learned to Dance. It all ended on a high with In My Room, a track off his latest album, which had the whole crowd singing their hearts out.
While the gig itself was over, the festivities certainly weren’t. Nick encouraged the crowd to make a short pilgrimage to the Elephant’s Head for a spirited after-show he was DJ’ing with indie pop artist Will Joseph Cook. The after-show was a complete tonal shift in the best way possible. The small space quickly filled up as Medium Build’s fans descended upon the pub. The music was an eclectic mix featuring everything from Blur to David Guetta. The danceable blend and lively crowd made for a joyous way to end the night.