SoundOn presents MOBO UnSung at The Pioneer: Class of 2023

Headliner Spaces and SoundOn's first MOBO UnSung event feels like a flag in the sand moment, as it marks the first event to be hosted by the partnership at The Pioneer Club in St. Albans - a venue steeped in history and now bringing in a greater richness of genres and diversity than ever before. 

The Headliner Spaces and SoundOn partnership is aimed at showcasing the most promising new talent in the market by offering live performance opportunities at one of the most exciting grassroots venues in the UK.

As the birthplace of such bands as The Zombies and Enter Shikari, The Pioneer has mainly been a hub for alternative rock music over the last 20 years. This meant the typical audience member would have a big floppy fringe, studded belt and black band t-shirt. But with MOBO UnSung’s class of 2023 in the building to celebrate the very best up-and-coming music of black origin, the mosh pits will have to be saved for another night while an incredible evening of R&B, hip-hop, touches of jazz and more is served up. And with Ayo Beatz headlining, this Thursday crowd are in for a treat.

Presented by TikTok’s music distribution service SoundOn, MOBO UnSung is an initiative from the legendary organisation to give a huge chance to unsigned talent. Known best for their annual MOBO awards which has seen the likes of Stormzy, Ms. Dynamite and Kano recognised, UnSung is their relatively new talent competition to give a huge opportunity to up-and-coming artists in the UK.

The first UnSung hero is Shack Santima, who graces the stage with something very unique: drill beats, overlaid with his lyrics about his faith, Christianity and how these things have got him through the hard times and pain in his life. And if this sounds like an episode of Songs of Praise, it really isn’t. Husband Material is a strong crowd favourite, and Shack’s lyrical delivery holds the room with ease. It’s refreshing to hear such hard beats with a message of pure positivity.

Commenting on the value of MOBO UnSung and grassroots venues like the Pioneer Club, Santima told Headliner: “MOBO UnSung has been great for providing us with insights and education on the business side of being an artist. There is so much you have to know and do beyond creating music, and they have given us some amazing knowledge on the industry side. And venues like this are just so important for artists making their way. You need these venues to build confidence as a performer and to keep improving your craft.”

And if raw honesty is something the crowd are now craving more of, South London’s Kaniva has it in spades. Carrying on the theme of sharing just four tracks, it’s incredible how much he shares about his personal life and demons he’s faced, and in between songs the fact that he almost quit music entirely. Thank goodness he didn’t, as these lyrics about his struggles with fatherhood, pursuing his passion and his ups and downs growing up in South London captivate the crowd.

Kaniva has been gaining momentum thanks to his hard-hitting punchlines, audacious attitude and ability to paint a vivid image with his storytelling in regards to issues with homelessness and mental health. Speaking to Headliner before his performance, he describes himself as an “artist songwriter and lazy producer from South London. I started making music when I was nine. I continued through school, I got really popular in my area and now I’m doing pretty well and I get millions of streams and I’ve toured a bit, so it’s all good,” he smiles, freshly applied gold grills gleaming.

“Getting a MOBO award is one of my biggest dreams, so to be noticed by the people that run it was a big achievement,” he says. “I think my family thinks I’m doing well now! It’s a great programme to be on; I’m having loads of fun. It’s taking me a bit out of my comfort zone, which is good.”

On the importance of grassroots venues, he shares that it’s an essential part of the process of honing one’s craft:

“Venues like the Pioneer Club are really important in terms of grassroots venues when you’re making music, because you’ve got to do these ones before you get to Glastonbury or Wireless. If I wasn’t doing these kinds of events, I wouldn't have the experience. A lot of artists these days make great music, but they can’t perform – you need both. Everyone can listen to music in their ears but the live experience is a whole other way to engage with the fans.”

After this double rap helping, R&B/pop with strong Carribean infusions has the floor. Which means Melica has arrived to do her thing. Like most of the artists tonight, she has the challenging task of performing on her own to the backing tracks of her music. Which is no problem, as Melica’s stage presence is something special, and she sounds like a total natural as she chats to the audience in between songs. She talks about how she’s looking to manifest big success in her career, and you’d be silly to bet against her achieving that in the near future.

Hailing from the tiny island of St. Lucia, Melica's musical scope ranges from up-tempo and tropical, island infused styles stemming from her Caribbean roots, to moody R&B vibes that showcase her rich vocals and slightly softer edge.

“I've been actively making music on a serious level from around 2018 onwards,” she tells Headliner. “From then, my journey has been, I would say…interesting,” she lands on.

“Definitely a bit of a roller coaster. For anybody who's signing up to turn their passion for music into a career to build a livelihood, it's tough. When you're up you’re up, and when you're down, you're down, but it's something that I've always been really passionate about, and the passion kept me going. If this is something you want to do, boy, you better make sure that this is something you're passionate about.”

On being part of the MOBO UnSung Class of 2023, Melica feels like this is the next step in her musical journey.

“It feels amazing to be recognised by a platform of this magnitude that champions black music and black art,” she says, adding that grassroots venues play an equally important part in helping the trajectory of up-and-coming artists.

“Grassroots venues are so important because that's where you really learn how to connect to audiences, how to build your stage presence, how to perform. I think that used to be more of a normal pathway for artists, whereas now we’re in an age where an artist can go viral with one song made in their bedroom or their studio, but they’re not performing that song. 

"Then they blow up overnight and have to go on these big stages. I feel like there's a step that's been missed because they don't know how to perform because they haven't had the chance to hone that craft yet. So having an opportunity to perform at grassroots venues like the Pioneer Club is really important and it's something that I take pride in. You really get to connect with people.”

On the important role TikTok plays in an artist’s career these days, she shares her thoughts on the way the platform is shaping the music industry:

“TikTok has a big influence in the music space,” she nods. “I heard that Billboard is incorporating TikTok into their data. I think any artist would be – I don't want to say silly – but to not take that into consideration for your marketing campaign…well, I would advise you to take it into consideration! TikTok is a platform that I'm trying to consume myself within; it’s definitely my friend.”

NeONE The Wonderer is also a solitary figure on stage, but brings so many genres onto the stage with him that the room is packed out with his sound. His flow, with shades of Kendrick Lamar, sits atop beats that effortlessly blend hip-hop, jazz, reggae and dub. 

Tracks like RagJazz sound stunning, and here’s hoping one day he’s backed by a full band, especially a saxophonist who is on his level. His music gets a gentleman in a vest and his umbrella throwing such noticeable shapes that NeONE is compelled to fistbump him in between tracks. Like each of these artists, NeONE is one to watch.

“Venues like the Pioneer Club are incredibly important for artists because they allow them to grow and develop, and they inspire those who get to witness those in the crowd who are songwriters or musicians who want to do the same thing,” NeONE tells Headliner. 

“And MOBO UnSung’s talent development programme has been amazing. It has allowed me to get into bigger spaces and learn more about the industry through offering first-hand experience.”

Speaking of band backing, Bea Anderson arrives on stage with two guitarists, a keys player and a drummer, and it’s the very least her songs and vocals deserve. She’s the last MOBO artist of the evening, and sees this portion of the evening out beautifully with her airy and wistful vibrato carrying over her soulful songs.

Hailing from London, Anderson has quickly gained traction as she combines effortless melodies and soulful lyrics with a timeless approach to songwriting. “I feel so honoured to be recognised by the MOBOs at this stage of my career,” she tells Headliner. 

“When you're doing independent artistry, you can feel so alone – you don't really have a team, you're doing so many things by yourself. It was the perfect time to have some form of infrastructure that could be the next stepping stone to what's next in my career, and I honestly feel like this is the opportunity for that.”

Anderson is also an artist who appreciates the value of grassroots venues: “Performing as an artist is so important by giving you the opportunity to perfect your craft in terms of your live ability. I think recording is great, especially in this digital era where everyone's online, but what happens when you're in person? How can you perfect that unless you're given opportunities to perform?”

On TikTok, she shares that it’s also become an essential part of her music campaigns:

“When I first released music, I wasn't on TikTok, and then it boomed and everyone was using it to propel themselves into the industry,” she reflects. “It really made me pivot my entire campaign. It's really important to understand how music is being consumed. At the moment, it is mainly TikTok, so you have to be on it, you have to use it, you have to utilise the platform to help you push your music. 

"You can't get away with releasing music now and not do it. I've also had the phenomenal opportunity of using SoundOn for the live version of my lead single, which is great,” she adds.

If it wasn’t party time already, Ayo Beatz makes absolutely sure it is as he arrives in celebratory mood. His chain is emblazoned with Ayo Beatz to ensure nobody doubts this is him in the flesh, while he bounces around the stage with abandon. And as the huge rhythms of tracks like Habits get everyone moving, are these the first reloads the Pioneer Club has witnessed?

Commenting on the vital role of grassroots venues, Beatz highlights their importance not just for emerging talent themselves, but for more established acts such as himself to see new talent coming through the pipeline.

“Venues like this are very important for people like me to see the new talent coming through,” he tells Headliner. “The up and coming spaces can be difficult to navigate when it comes to finding new artists, so something like this is quite fresh, and there is also the charity aspect of the Pioneer Club which is amazing to me.”

He also commented on the power of TikTok and its SoundOn platform.

“I haven’t used SoundOn yet, but I plan to with future releases. I’ve just come out of a major label and I think SoundOn is an ideal way of moving forward and taking the power back into the artist’s hands. And obviously TikTok has been a big influence and has had a huge impact. For me it has had the power to move me up 20 places in the charts. What it’s doing is giving everybody to be involved in a record as well, by making their own videos and things like that. It’s changing the way the game is.”

With more MOBOs UnSung events to come here, it’s a very exciting time for both this crop of artists and the Pioneer.

The MOBO UnSung class of 2023’s performances packed a punch thanks to The Pioneer’s sound system, which comprises eight JBL SRX910 line arrays, four SRX928S ground-stacked subs and four JBL PRX908 floor monitors. Two PRX915 DJ monitors also reside at the venue, along with a Soundcraft Ui24 mixer. Meanwhile, two JBL PRX912s are positioned on the VIP balcony as delays.

JBL’s presence at The Pioneer Club also extends beyond the main performance space and into its bar and mini performance area – The Suet Yard. Fully reimagined from its initial iteration as a communal canteen area, it is now a social, DJ and performance space that sits alongside the main venue area, complete with a bar powered by Signature Brew and a JBL-powered PA system that can accommodate everything from DJ sets and stripped back and acoustic sessions for up to 200 people.

The full PA system consists of an assortment of speakers from JBL’s PRX Series, including PRX915XLF subwoofers, PRX908 and IRX108BT loudspeakers, as well as a Soundcraft Ui24R mixer.

A comprehensive Martin Lighting rig works to spotlight the artists and sets the mood on stage and throughout the venue, which includes compact beam moving heads, bright single-lens LED moving heads, bright single-lens LED PAR cans, bright single-lens colour LED PAR can light fixtures, ultra-bright quad LED blinder fixtures and a JEM ZR35 fog machine.

Photo credits: The Brytz Sisters