Tom Misch celebrated the release of his sophomore studio album, Full Circle, with an electrifying comeback performance at London's iconic KOKO on Wednesday, April 1. The night was packed with nostalgia and star power, highlighted by surprise guest appearances from longtime collaborators Jordan Rakei and Loyle Carner.
Full Circle, which dropped on March 27, marks Misch's highly anticipated return to solo music and his first major release since his celebrated 2020 collaborative project What Kinda Music with Yussef Dayes. To mark the milestone, the multi-instrumentalist pulled out all the stops for the first of two special hometown shows.
Alt-R&B heavyweight Jordan Rakei was the first major surprise of the evening, joining Misch to perform their smooth 2015 collaboration, "Wake Up This Day," originally featured on Beat Tape 2.
The energy in the room truly peaked when South London hip-hop superstar Loyle Carner stepped out to perform their breezy, fan-favorite track "Damselfly." The massive roar from the KOKO crowd noticeably caught Carner off guard, prompting the rapper to step to the mic and exclaim, "Oh, shit!" The beloved track, originally housed on Carner's breakthrough 2017 debut Yesterday's Gone, remains a defining hit for both artists.
The on-stage reunion reignited hope among fans for a deeper musical partnership between Misch and Carner. Misch has previously floated the idea of a collaborative mixtape, famously telling the press about his instant admiration for Carner after stumbling across his music on SoundCloud back in 2014.
Concertgoers immediately flooded social media to celebrate Misch's return to the live circuit. One emotional attendee described the surprise Carner cameo as "healing for my teenage self," while another praised the sheer quality of the show, writing, "So great to see Tom back & performing his new music, he sounds so good."