Big Boi @ O2 Academy, 3 Nov

As one half of the biggest selling hip-hop group of all time, by rights OutKast’s Antwan ‘Big Boi’ Patton should have sold out the Academy before his street team broke a sweat. How the seasons change – with a reported 160 of a possible 2,500 tickets sold, a bar beneath the balcony becomes a makeshift venue for what transpires to be a rare chance to catch ‘Daddy Fat Sax’ at close quarters.

Wearing a wide smile from the get-go, the Atlanta MC visibly thrives on pairing it back to basics, doling out more words-per-minute than he’ll allow himself on record. Leaving no stone unturned, we’re given a tight and energised hour-long mix-tape of classics that span OutKast’s discography (from Playas Ball to Ghetto Musick via the dizzy heights of B.O.B and Ms Jackson) and the bulk of a new solo album – Sir Lucious Left Foot: Son of Chico Dusty – spoiled with playful and inventive glimmers of hope for an ailing genre (Shutterbugg, Fo Yo Sorrows, Shine Blockas).

“I like it like this,” Big Boi insists before he leaves us, “up close and personal.” Looks like those who slept both missed and made a memorable night for everybody else. [Dave Kerr]