Conglomerate recapped by sighted
On Tuesday 12 November 2024, the first Conglomerate listening party was held in London. The album surely needs no introduction to the audience of this article, but it marks a stark turning point in the underground (or maybe the end of it in some ways ((?)). It’s one of the first UK ‘underground’ albums to officially chart, debuting at no.1 in the rap category and number 23 on the UK album charts. The release and first performance of the album has an energy around it I’ve yet to see for a project in the same genre, and I feel as though this is the project that lifts the UK underground above the ground and into the ‘mainstream’, due to its insane streaming figures and influx of new fans to the scene.
However, don’t let this fool you into thinking this hasn’t been brewing for a while - the scene has been gaining and gaining momentum for a long, long time and in 2024 it is the healthiest its ever been in regard to spectacle and fanbase. Fimiguerrero, for example, had 300k monthly listeners on Spotify in September - at the time of writing this article, that number sits at just over 759k. All the recent growth artists have received has been authentic too, due to a lack of insanely viral hits or ‘tiktok’ songs - which leads nicely into the state of events in the UK underground right now.
The increase in genuine fans who feel like they connect with the music and artists mean that an artist with 40 thousand followers can sell out 1,500 tickets at a concert, a ratio almost unfathomable to artists in a similar position in the US - the UK’s geography, as well as the sense of community and genuine love means with roughly £20 and a train ticket (usually to London) people can come and see their favourite underground artists almost at their own will.
Events are hosted by many different organisations, all with their own appeal and specialties. @Auxldn have sent a strong message with their consistently unreal headliners, usually from the US, and are the go-to for fans of the US scene. Being able to see Hardrock or Autumn at their own concerts in the UK has been insane, and they deserve their flowers for making events like that go ahead.
@Antagonistsuk, who hosted the Conglomerate listening party, have also left an impression with their events, notably Antagfest. The phrase ‘underground avengers’ is thrown around a lot at the moment - but with a lineup including Len, YT, Skaiwater, Teebofg, Jeffgrv, Pierre, Young Eman, Ohmienn and many many more - its very difficult to find a fault with its use. Other hosts such as Nova and Loccedin have delivered their own experiences with shows in the Midlands and the North, something seemingly unthinkable for this type of music a few short years ago - but they’ve found their audiences and showcase talent across the UK.
The Conglomerate listening party felt less like a celebration of a specific album and more of a milestone for how far the scene has come. The music has reached new heights, and so has the lore around it. It’s almost impossible to know of Lancey, Len and Fimi without knowing about Syd and Osbatt (of which there is a named song on the album). The venue was absolutely electric and entirely packed out - people knew seemingly every word to an album that released just a few days before. The artists are reaching new heights, the fans are invested more and more into their music, the merchandise and surrounding clothing keeps improving and improving - the underground has reached a level difficult to summarise in one article, but I would say there are definitely conversations to be had around what ‘underground’ means right now, and regardless of what it does - music in the UK is in a very good place.