IN CONCERT: Little Simz - Brooklyn Paramount, October 30TH, 2025

Nov 5

Concert review by and all photography by Beau Croxton

Little Simz at Brooklyn Paramount by Beau Croxton

Little Simz returned to Brooklyn last week with two sold out nights at Brooklyn Paramount, and Occult was there for all the magic at Night 1.

My first experience seeing Little Simz (aka "Simbi") was at Music Hall of Williamsburg back in 2019. I was awestruck by her hard-hitting record GREY area, which was easily my favorite rap record released in 2019. The live performance that night was even more of a stunner– Simz performed her set with fury and utter precision, all while backed by a seriously impressive live band. I felt like I was watching an extremely talented artist rise to pure greatness– and I’'m sure many folks in the sold-out 650 Music Hall of Williamsburg did as well. Simbi grinned ear to ear throughout that show, as she was beaming with gratitude for the audience, and acted truly humbled. Her trajectory since that moment has been remarkable, and her acclaimed music and live show has only sharpened, matured and become more precise with time.

VENOM

Last Thursday at Brooklyn Paramount, opener La Reezy got the crowd properly pumped with his swift bars and Louisiana pride. Shortly after 9PM, Little Simz's fantastic backing band hit the stage to cue the first guitar and bass lines of “Thief”. When the set kicked off, this song set an extremely high bar of energy for the evening, and Simbi’s momentum was unstoppable. She wore an elaborately-detailed jacket adorned with patches all over it— and each patch was Lotus tour themed, referencing the many tour dates. The opening 1-2 punch of “Thief” and “Flood” from Lotus felt very comparable to the chest-beating bravado of the hard-edged material from 2019’s GREY area— it was an absolutely explosive opening that felt like an adrenaline surge of a rock concert. Without fail, songs like “Two Worlds Apart” and “I Love You, I Hate You” from Simbi’s most acclaimed record S.I.M.B.I. were very warmly received by the audience.

In recent years, Little Simz has gotten very big as an artist– she recently performed in an arena the size of Madison Square Garden back in the UK. But it seems she’s still just as down to earth as her early days as a rising star. Just as she did at the 2019 NYC show, Simz walked directly into the audience to perform “101FM” along with all of her screaming and ecstatic fans at Brooklyn Paramount. It was very a wholesome, throwback moment– and it's such a killer track.

Little Simz at Brooklyn Paramount by Beau Croxton

One of the most resounding highlights of any Simz set is always her performance of “Venom”-- it has such a technical, rhythmic and fast vocal performance that it never fails to blow your mind. (this performance of “Venom” is enough to turn any casual listener into a major Simz fan…)

For an exciting portion in the middle of the set, Simz donned headphones and entered a DJ Booth to launch into her more dancey material from her Drop 7 EP. Simbi started some hard beats that eventually dropped into “Mood Swings” – which got the place jumping. She rapped some bits of “Torch” before landing on the song “Fever”-- an infectious cut that finds Simbi reciting bars in Portuguese. During the instrumental of “SOS”, Simz encouraged the place to let loose and dance. It was a full-fledged Simz dance party and it brought even more life to her excellent EP.

“Lion” from Lotus was seamlessly bridged into “Point and Kill” with a bass solo— creating a nonstop parade of afrobeat-tinged cheer. It served as a major highlight of the evening, and bassist Marla Kether was absolutely on fire during plenty of songs like “Lion”, “Point and Kill” “Enough” and the outro of “Young”.

Little Simz at Brooklyn Paramount by Beau Croxton

Before Simz performed her song “Lonely”, she gave a heartfelt speech. Speaking to the audience, Simz said “I wanna talk to you about creativity.” She explained her struggles with writer’s block during her most recent LP Lotus: “I didn’t trust my ear, I couldn't start a verse. I really struggled…I lost all self confidence. I wrote a song about loneliness in the creative process. If there are any creatives in this room…..I wanna encourage you to finish it…just make it to the finish line”.

It's odd to hear someone as talented as Simz say this out loud, especially towards the end of such an unbelievable set, and especially considering how fantastic Lotus turned out. But ultimately, Simz's truthtelling on “Lonely” is a reminder that even artists with seemingly supernatural talent are human after all.

Simz concluded her speech by saying “I feel vulnerable to say I felt lost in writing…..But I trust that I’m in safe hands”, and the crowd cheered her on with roaring applause. Simz also thanked New York City in general, a city that's always shown her “mad love”. Simz also said “Thanks to every fan who’s ever bought any merch, a CD, vinyl, and thanks to anyone who’s seen me at Baby’s Alright or Webster Hall”.

Little Simz is known to collaborate with incredible drummers– on her new album Lotus, she has drums from Morgan Simpson (black midi) and features English jazz drummer Yussef Dayes on the title track. For this leg of tour, Simz had Haze Amaze playing drums in her band (aka Hasmon Abraham II, who plays with NAS). Haze’s drum solo on the outro of the “Lotus” title track was absolutely jaw dropping– all of Simbi’s band members watched Haze’s performance in awe, as he absolutely tore down the house with his wild jazz chops.

Little Simz at Brooklyn Paramount by Beau Croxton

ENCORE

After a vibey and fun performance of “Woman”, Simz closed the evening with a supercharged encore performance of “Gorilla”. It was a total riot, with its A Tribe Called Quest-esque bass, groovy dancing from her band and Simbi’s super playful bars– it sent the night out on the biggest high possible.

It is incredible to see Simz at this caliber of artistry these days– she is even sharper, grander, more vulnerable and more unstoppable, but despite her major success, she seems just as humble and down to earth as ever. Most importantly, her show is just an incredibly fun time. If you are ever given the opportunity to witness her greatness– do not pass it up. Little Simz is on a blazing run of studio albums right now, and both Simz and her live band are undeniably in top form.