KhakiKid.

KhakiKid (2026).

Me and Anita, with our friends Tony and Laura, at the Lower Third in Soho.

I've been trying to see KhakiKid for a while. Back in April 2025 he announced two small shows under the banner "Two wee shows", and they were gone before I got near them. I ended up on the Dice waiting list, which is where most waiting-list hopes go to die.

So when he announced a short run of UK dates for October this year, I didn't hang about. Four tickets on Ticketmaster on 1 May, at £12 each, for the second of two nights at the Lower Third. That is about the best value you'll get for a night out in central London.

For anyone who hasn't come across him, KhakiKid is Abdu Huss, an Irish-Libyan rapper who grew up in Crumlin in Dublin. He has been building steadily since Shlumped Up took off in 2021, through the Elevator Music, sand bebé and Moanbag EPs, the last of which gave him the viral hit Date Nite. This year's Girl Bites Dog EP, out in April, has Kojaque guesting on Rude. It is alt-rap with a lot of humour in it, and as a Dublin man living in England, it's good to hear a voice from home doing well over here.

The night.

Myself and Anita went with our friends Tony and Laura on Thursday 22 October. We made an afternoon of it in Soho first, with pints in Waxy’s Little Sister, Simmons and Trisha’s before heading for the venue. By the time he came on we were quite a few pints deep, which is exactly how you should be at a gig like this.

The Lower Third sits on Denmark Street, the old Tin Pan Alley, as part of the Outernet development. It holds a couple of hundred people, which makes it the kind of room where nobody is far from the stage and the artist can see every face.

It was an energetic, fun session from start to finish, with a guest vocalist joining him for part of the set.

Listen.

I'll be honest, with the pints I didn't keep track of the setlist, and nobody has posted one online yet. So instead, here's where to start with his stuff. Listen: Apple Music · Spotify

If you're new to him, start with Shlumped Up and Date Nite, then work through Girl Bites Dog.