Tyla brings A*POP to a sold-out Brixton Academy in London
Written and Captured By | Emily Snelling
If you’re looking for a party, Tyla is where it’s at.
Tyla debuted her A*POP tour in the UK with a sold-out show at Brixton Academy, which shifted the air throughout Brixton that evening.
The energy was tangible, and it felt like the entirety of London had travelled to Brixton just to dance with Tyla.
With doors opening at seven and two back-to-back support acts, the night was quick to get started and very slow to end, with the party running all night long throughout Brixton High Street.
Usually, a support act warms up the crowd for the main event, with long intermissions throughout the night to build anticipation. However, Tyla took a different approach to getting the party started early, with fewer breaks and higher-energy support acts than usual to help build the atmosphere of A*POP.
Starting the party was Royal Musiq, an amapiano artist who, with just a short 15-minute set, managed to turn a still, tired crowd into a full-blown dance party. While the visuals and overall vibe were very basic, not even going as far as providing coloured lighting, Royal Musiq’s unique and exciting set was all that was needed to get the room moving, setting the stage for Bloody Civilian to come out and crank things up another level.
I was enjoying Royal Musiq’s set quite a lot to begin with, as the music really carried itself. However, I found it even more exciting when two dancers came out and tore up the stage, encouraging the crowd to loosen up and dance more, too. Somehow, the energy was raised even further when Royal Musiq decided to join in and dance, too, closing out his set and leaving the crowd ready for Bloody Civilian.
Although the stage was again giving the bare minimum, with just a black curtain and plain lighting, Bloody Civilian, a Nigerian singer and producer, took to the stage with a confident presence. Performing songs from her discography, she delivered strong vocals and brought a fun energy to the stage, often dancing and clearly enjoying herself.
I think both acts were great choices and used their stage time wisely. However, the contrast between their minimal staging and what was to come made Tyla’s production even more impressive.
After a very short intermission, Tyla began her performance with a sultry introduction, revealing herself, her backing dancers and her A*POP stage design all at once as she opened with “THAT GIRL”.
The difference in production was immediate. After the black curtain and basic lighting of the support acts, Tyla revealed a stage built around industrial scaffolding, neon lighting and the bold aesthetic of A*POP. What had initially seemed like a rather boring stage suddenly made sense, as the contrast made the reveal of Tyla’s set feel even more effective.
The scaffolding design gave the stage so much more to work with, providing different levels and areas for Tyla and her dancers to use throughout the show. Rather than staying in one spot, Tyla was constantly moving around the stage, using the structure as part of the performance and even swinging from it at points. Combined with the neon lighting, her outfits and the A*POP branding throughout, the whole production felt like one big party.
Throughout the set, Tyla had loads of gorgeous visuals going on, and the crowd was absolutely eating everything up, from the crowd interactions and dance breaks to the well-loved songs and costumes. Everything felt very on-brand, with the styling and stage design complementing the music rather than distracting from it.
What I particularly enjoyed was how the show managed to feel fully choreographed while still leaving room for genuine moments with the crowd. The dancers and transitions were clearly well rehearsed, and a lot of thought had gone into how the stage was used. However, Tyla still had moments when she could interact with the audience and let the energy in the room take over. It never felt like she was simply going through the motions.
And the crowd was LOUD. People were singing everything back to her, and the energy throughout the venue was incredible. It felt like everyone was there to have a good time, and Tyla knew exactly how to make the most of it. It’s no surprise that the first night sold out and a second night was added.
My favourite moments included the parts when the crowd was riled up for her hit “Water”, with Tyla reminding everyone just how thirsty they were. The audience needed very little encouragement, singing and shouting back at her at every opportunity.
The setlist moved between the newer A*POP material and the songs that have helped make Tyla such a recognisable name. Tracks like “PUSH 2 START” and “Truth or Dare” brought the new era to life, while her established hits gave the crowd plenty of opportunities to sing along. The changes in mood throughout the set also gave the show some variety without taking away from the party atmosphere, while giving people a chance to breathe between all the ass-shakin’.
What stood out to me was that the newer material didn’t feel out of place alongside the songs people already knew and loved. Speaking as someone who isn’t well-versed in Tyla’s discography, the energy levels were so consistent that it was hard for me to decipher which songs were newer and which were older.
With the choreography, visuals and styling tying everything together, the whole performance felt like a proper introduction to Tyla and a sneak peek at what’s to come as she continues to outgrow venues.
Tyla is nothing short of a true performer, with all the elements one could want from a pop concert: gorgeous vocals, a stunning face card, incredible choreography and a stage presence that kept the audience engaged throughout.
I think the attention to detail on this tour has been fantastic, and the budget was budgeting. The scaffolding, neon lighting, outfits and A*POP branding all worked together to create a distinctive look, while the dynamic use of the stage kept the performance interesting from start to finish.
The support acts had already done an amazing job of getting the crowd moving, but Tyla took the atmosphere to another level. With a fully thought-out show, a crowd singing their hearts out and production that matched the energy of the music, Brixton Academy felt less like a concert venue and more like one enormous party.
And judging by the energy that continued throughout Brixton afterwards, the party didn’t end when the lights came up.