I-Octane thrills O2 Brixton Academy

Dancehall entertainer’s I-Octane and Macka Diamond attracted a full house at the 02 Brixton Academy in London, England on Sunday for a show dubbed 'More Life'.

Over 5,000 patrons crammed into the venue to be a part of 'More Life", the largest cultural experience for black music, with a heavyweight lineup that consisted of Mighty Crown, Stone Love, English ragga-pop star Ms Dynamite, Macka Diamond and I Octane.

I Octane was simply brilliant during his set opening up with "My Life No Easy like 1-2-3' for which he got a huge roar of approval from the audience. He clambered on top of the nearby speaker boxes on the stage, and the venue lifted as he declared "mi no wear bwoy clothes", and lighters dotted the venue. He told the crowd to buss a blank, leaping up on the speakers, and the crowd exploded.

He then changed gears neatly by serenading a sexy white girl in white leggings, white shirt and a black bikini bottom, by singing 'L-O-V-E'. Then he stopped to talk to the crowd for a few seconds, before he declared "ah the gal dem we love", and he performed 'Wine and Jiggle'. 

During this song, a buxom dark-skinned girl challenged the white girl, getting on all fours and wining up a storm, and the crowd loved it. Men beat Guinness bottles on nearby speaker boxes and the girls shrieked their delight.

Then Octane received a big forward when his white dancer got on her head, and he attempted to mount her in that position. The girls screamed out his name. 

He then settled down the crowd with 'No One Can Love You Like I Do' before upping the tempo again with a song for Chimney Records.

"If mi drop da song, and no man no move, then something wrong...TJ Records, Gal ting, it nu hard," he deejayed, and the forwards were defeaning inside the Brixton Academy. 

One of the high points of the night came when he instructed the technical personnel to lock off all the lights, so he could see the phone lights illuminating the venue. He then did 'Lose a Friend' with the crowd singing in unison, the phones making bright pinpoints of light like a million fireflies gathered in the gloom. It was a touching moment. 

Octane segued neatly into 'Study Yu Friend'. More forwards. 

"Mi can memba when mi did want to close a show at Brixton Academy and now it a happen," he said, before doing one of his biggest singles, Bun. He earned a forward, and then pulled up the song and did it again. 

"Him drink out mi fruit juice dem," he said laughing, and the crowd erupted into laughter. 

Then he segued into 'We Love the Vibes' pulling down the curtains on an excellent show. Earlier, Macka Diamond worked an excellent 25 minute set peppered with hits such as 'Bun Him', 'Done Already' and the monster hit, 'Dye Dye' and she interacted well with the crowd on one of the biggest shows that a female has performed on in the UK in several years. 

Dancehall insiders believe that 'More Life 2015' has put reggae back on the UK Map, especially against the background of no-shows because of visa challenges and poor organisations from promoters in recent years. 

The show was organised by  Another Level and Flames Radio promotions.