Well, will you look at that. Yung Lean is back. Earlier this year, the Stockholm rapper released his 12-track mixtape Stardust, featuring collaborations with the likes of FKA twigs, Skrillex, Drain Gang and Ant Wan and lines such as “I feel like 50 Cent / I’m hated, yes, by many men.”
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Still, it's been a minute since we've actually seen Yung Lean in the flesh. He released fourth album Starz in early 2020, though he's not played in the UK since way back in 2018, and even then, for one night only. He hadn't played prior to that since 2017. So yeah, it's rare for the musician to bless UK soil. Which is why south London was absolutely heaving last night, on the 14th of November, as thousands descended upon Brixton Academy to finally catch their favourite rapper stalk the stage.It’s worth pointing out here that Yung Lean fans are notoriously stylish (the old stereotype of the quintessential Yung Lean fan being a 12-year-old white boy in a bucket hat and long sleeve belongs in 2013). As 7PM approached, there were were people in puffa jackets, fur coats, yellow-tinted shades and pink hair snaking around the streets like a Depop sale in human form.With that in mind, we sent photographer Holly Whitaker down to Brixton to snap some of the best fits in the queue for Yung Lean at Brixton Academy. See below.
From left to right: Ed, 18 and Jade, 19.
Alfred, 20.
Rain, 18.
TC, 17.
Lexi, 17.
From left to right: Lea, 23 and Hannah, 27.
From left to right: Ana-Maria, 19 and Enoch, 19.
Jack, 20.
From left to right: Ivora, 18, Carmen, 16, and Makira, 16.
Zoe, 19.
From left to right: Ami, 20 and Lily, 20.
Sam, 18.
From left to right: Harrison, 21 and Layla, 21.
Raphael, 15.
Cloe, 18.
Genesis, 18.
Florence, 22.
Will, 19.