HAK BAKER + OTIS MENSAH Kantine am Berghain, Berlin am 07.09.23

Hak Baker does not, on the face of it, seem like an obvious candidate for apocalyptic thoughts. To encounter the acclaimed Isle of Dogs native and self-styled ‘G-folk’ star – all devilish grin, infectious East End charm and whirling tales of youthful mischief – is not to be immediately put in mind of a jittery doomsday prepper, stacking canned goods in a bomb-proof shelter. But appearances can be deceiving. And now, Baker’s forthcoming progression as an artist, an extraordinary creative leap tailor-made for an era of social inequity, internet addiction and post-pandemic disillusionment, arrives shaped by his belief that (figuratively, at least) only societal collapse can pave the way for a better, brighter tomorrow.