The Bank Holiday weekend at the end of August always feels like a defining moment of the year, let alone summer. There’s festivals aplenty, Carnival’s lingering, family lunches try to creep their way into your already packed out schedule. So, how do you decide what to do? Well, if you were lucky enough to hear about Little Simz performing at Amex Afters to Saturday’s star-studded All Points East, the decision was surely made a lot simpler.

It’s Saturday evening, around 8:30 pm, a mere few hours before Little Simz is due to grace the stage at Village Underground for fortuitous post-festival goers. She logs onto our zoom call, greeting me with a fervent apology on her slightest of lateness. I try and cease my jaw from dropping, attempting to remain professional and portray myself as a serious journalist, enquiring about her year so far, one that has in majority been away from the media’s piercing stare.

“It’s been a progressive year for sure. I’ve been doing a lot of shows, dotting around, travelling. I’ve spent quite a bit of time in America,” she tells me, before referencing the diaristic book that she unveiled in late May. A portrait of her polymathy, Simz is by no means restricted to a single creative medium, instead branching out beyond the roots that she feels most at home growing from. “It’s an opportunity for me to speak to people. Also, to have something quite tangible,” she affirms, “Obviously, when you release music, more time everything’s on a phone. So I guess I wanted to put something out that doesn’t hold your attention to a screen. You can pass it down or let it sit on your coffee table.“

We touch on the UK scene, with Simz herald rising female rapper Cristale as one to watch, commenting, “I’m really happy that she’s flourishing within this space that can be really hard to cut through, especially as a woman,” before we maraud towards to topic of a certain TV show that is set to hit our screens in a matter of days.

On the 7th September, Top Boy reaches its climax with a fifth and final season, as we wave goodbye to the flawed heroes that have compelled us since the show’s inception over a decade ago. We met Simz’ Shelley when the show was thankfully resurrected by Netflix for a third series, and she has since become one of the series’ most engaging and provoking characters. “I just love the fact that it was, and is, a true representation of the London I know,” she observes. “I grew up in North London, and this is based in East, but it still feels really relatable. Even though these are fictional characters, growing up I knew a Sully, I knew a Dushane, I knew a Shelley. It felt really close to home.”

The legacy of Top Boy has long been written. Its depiction of grit-laden reality evokes comparison to undoubtedly one of the best shows of the noughties, The Wire, and mirrors the aforementioned show’s passion in being driven by characters rather than fantastical story-telling. “I think it’s changed the landscape of British television,” Simz confers. “It’s really beautiful to be a part of an ensemble that is here to champion real people, real stories and real truth.”

Now that Simz has dipped her toes into an inviting pool of acting, will she proceed to dive into the waters of theatrics? “God willing,” she affirms. “I’m always inspired by drama and I’ve been acting for years now. So it feels like it’s within my path, it’s in my calling to continue down that road. I’m just all about doing the right projects.”

Last December Simz released her latest full length project, the subtle, cerebral and attentive NO THANK YOU, a record of supreme artistic achievement. “I was hesitant to talk my truth on that level, so I feel mostly really proud that I did,” she reflects on the body of work. “Also knowing how it has impacted people, that’s always important for me because I feel like it’s beyond me. Even though I’m the artist and I make the music I put out, once I let go of it, it’s not really mine anymore.”

The album saw Simz shift message, tone and timbre compared to its extravagant and cinematic predecessor Sometimes I Might Be An Introvert, a disposition that seemed to be at the forefront of Simz’ mind when creating the record. “SIMBI is definitely a very artsy album. It’s conceptual, you’re in its world. On NO THANK YOU, I was more direct. I wasn’t really in a space of experimentation. I had some stuff to say and just wanted to just say it.”

So what is the overarching, quintessential message of NO THANK YOU? “When you’re an up-and-coming artist, you don’t get taught the power of no because that’s not going to get you anywhere,” she explains. “It’s very much – when you get presented with an opportunity, it’s in your best interest to say yes and to take it. After years of doing that and not really understanding your worth, it can leave you feeling a bit empty, because you always feel like you’re giving and you’re not even valuing yourself like that. I’m not coming for anyone, like, that’s not my vibe. It’s just more about me protecting myself, having boundaries and being clear in my decision making and in my communication as well,” she affirms, before admitting that “sometimes I’m not the greatest at that, which is why I write because that’s the easiest form for me to communicate.”

Talk moves onto the evening ahead, with me expressing animated anticipation for the festivities ahead. “I can just let my hair down and enjoy myself,” Simz agrees. “The bigger you get, the less you play intimate shows. So it feels somewhat nostalgic for me to be able to tap back into that space. There’s something about these kinds of shows… the energy is unmatched. It’s a direct line of energy between us in this hot, congested environment. All Points East and Village Underground have always held a special place for me as both a performer and a Londoner, so performing tonight for this one-off Amex Afters will be incredible.”

Eager not to take up any more of her preparation time, I round off the discussion with a musing into the future of Little Simz. What’s next? “My art is the only thing that I can guarantee that I will always devote myself to, to contribute in whatever way. I’m just excited for that and to challenge myself to try new things. I’m also on chilling as well. I’m low key. Just doing life a bit, you know?”, she concludes, gazing into her screen at her open-mouthed interviewer. Before I can thank her for her time and profess my undying love, the camera cuts – the familiar curse of zoom has struck once again. I have no time to dwell though, with AMEX Afters show creeping closer. I chuck on some jeans, try and make my unkempt hair look presentable, and head towards Village Underground with my trusted plus one.

What follows is a performance of craft, intimacy and effervescence. Her predictions for the tone of the matinee are proven correct; a flurry of slurry festival goers fill the packed venue, shouting into each other’s ears above a wall of excitedly reflective finalities and expectant mediations. Following a crowd pleasing set from the impressive Girls Can’t DJ, Simz appears on the stage to an adoring reception. What follows is a blurry 45 minutes of magnificent mania. From the swanky groove of “Gorilla”, to the chant-laden “Point and Kill” and mosh-inducing throwback “Venom”, Simz’ setlist is thrilling, celebratory and breathless, a consistent stream of meticulous technique and characterful performance.

Dripping with triumphant sweat, we are ushered out into the dim light Shoreditch backstreet. A night to remember for me, and for every other starstruck fan who was blessed enough to see an incredulous performance. As summer epilogues go, you can’t write many better than that.

American Express partnered with multi-award-winning rapper and hip-hop star Little Simz to headline the official All Points East ‘Amex Afters’ to help festival goers keep the vibe alive. To find out how you can get more from the music you love, search Why Amex.