After a brief stint supporting Alex Clare on his UK tour, 20 year old newcomer Josh Osho makes his return and Courtney Buck went down to the Hoxton Bar and Kitchen to witness his debut performance.

Supporting Mr Osho on this occasion was Urban Development favourite Lovelle and new band AlunaGeorge. Lovelle performed a number of her songs backed by only an acoustic guitar. She sang ‘Uh Oh’ & ‘Not for Girls’ and sounded incredible as always. I actually didn’t know Lovelle would be supporting, so this was a nice addition to the show.

Up next was AlunaGeorge. A very interesting and exciting duo, their mix of R&B, trip-hop, electro and all round “spaced out” sound impressed me tremendously. I highly recommend checking out their next single “You Know You Like It” as it really gives a great example of what to expect from them. Remember the name ‘AlunaGeorge’. I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot more from then over the next few months.

Last up for the evening was man of the hour Josh Osho. Coming on stage, dressed casually, topped off with a snapback cap, backed by a simple two man back-up vocalists and BBC Radio 1Xtra DJ CJ Beatz on the decks, Josh began his set with ‘The Ebenezer Hotel’ - a song written about his time living in a hostel and having everything stolen except his guitar. Amazing.

Josh performed a number of songs from his forthcoming album (titled L.I.F.E.) including ‘Birthday’ and the first song he ever wrote, ‘S.O.S.’ He even threw in a brilliant cover/mash-up of Jay-Z’s Empire State Of Mind and Tracy Chapman’s ‘Talkin’ bout A Reveloution’. To end his set, Josh sang new single ‘Redemption Days’.

There’s no denying Josh Osho’s talents, and seeing him live only confirmed this. This guy is absolutely incredible. He has all the elements required to join the ever increasing list of UK artists who have managed to cross over into the mainstream and be a real success or the next ‘big thing’. I’ve been a fan of Josh for a while, so it was nice to hear him live, and in his natural element. Tonight, a star was surely born.

WORDS: Courtney Buck