Bilal

A concert by the American neo soul singer and poet Bilal at Islington Assembly Hall in London, marking the 25th anniversary of the debut album 1st Born Second.

Bilal, the American neo soul poet and singer active since 1999, returns to the stage to revisit 1st Born Second, the debut album released in 2001 on Interscope Records. The record was made with the Soulquarians collective, and the material names J Dilla, Dr. Dre and Mos Def among the collaborators involved. The album is performed in full, including the tracks Soul Sista and Fast Lane.

The artist is described as a Grammy Award-winning singer whose music blends jazz, funk, hip-hop and R&B, with a vocal range that moves between raw intensity and falsetto. The concert is a celebration of the album's anniversary, presented as a live reworking of the record.

Islington Assembly Hall is a live music venue and events space on Upper Street, part of the Islington Town Hall complex, and it mainly hosts pop, rock and indie concerts. The venue runs a Support the Supports campaign for its opening acts, so audiences arriving early can meet up-and-coming artists before the headline set.