Why WSTRN Deserve To Be In The ‘Great British Bands’ Conversation

Oasis. One Direction. Take That. The Beatles. One word: iconic. Very few male bands from the UK have managed to break as much ground as them, and despite them all being defunct today, their timeless pop and rock songs/albums have been stitched into the fabric of Britain. However, with the commercial success of Black British music over the past five years, it’s about time another name was added to the list of ‘Great British Bands’.

The Afroswing boom of the mid-2010s, whose positioning was helped by a newly revived grime scene, brought with it a new generation of talent—some of whom are considered bonafide pop stars today. While many came in on one wave and left on another to maintain chart dominance and relevance, not many have been able to find that winning formula. Luckily for West London outfit WSTRN, that hasn’t been the case. Starting out as solo artists, singers Haile and Akelle and rapper Louis Rei reentered the scene as a group in 2015, with their infectious debut single “In2”—which is now a double-platinum hit. Over the years, the trio have shown nothing but growth, collectively and individually, and have refined their sound—a seamless blend of R&B, rap, dancehall and Afrobeats—along the way.

WSTRN have yet to release a bad song, and that’s no exaggeration. Even when Akelle went to prison in 2017 on a violent disorder charge, Haile and Louis truly held it down and dropped a widely rated mixtape titled Double 3AK, not to mention selling out tours as a duo. Where some would have faltered with a member missing, WSTRN kept the momentum going—whether it was through Haile lending catchy hooks to other rappers, or Louis Rei’s freestyling on platforms like Daily Duppy, they wern’t out of the spotlight for too long.

Now reunited, WSTRN are back and better than ever. A quick scroll through the comment section under their music videos will see fans complaining that WSTRN are underrated. In coming up at the pivotal moment in Black British music that they did and taking in all their influences, WSTRN are not only one of the best UK bands for their perfect melodies and attention to detail, but also because they perfectly encapsulate the evolution of Black music in the UK, with their fingers always on the pulse and their ears always to the ground.

Here are a few more reasons why we should all consider WSTRN to be one of the greatest UK bands of all time...

Produced by frequent collaborator PRGRSHN, “Ben’ Ova” is WSTRN as we best know them: playful and melodic, with resident rhymer Louis Rei assisting Haile with some soulful vocals to boot. The song leans heavily into the group’s dancehall influences, and with a music video directed by the late, great Luke Biggins filmed out on the block, it doesn’t get more Carnival-ready than this in the heart of West London.

Released in July 2017, “Txtin’” does a great job of doubling up as a summertime- and an anytime-anywhere club anthem. The song sees WSTRN lean into their unique blend of R&B and dancehall, with Louis in full patois mode, plus an assist from dancehall superstar Alkaline. Haile’s smooth, radio-worthy hook helps bring the song together, a song that still tears up DJ sets four years on.

When Haile and Louis Rei broke down every track on WSTRN Season, Vol. 2 with us in 2019, they mentioned that it initially seemed odd to have a drill rapper on a WSTRN song, especially one as mellow as this. However, Unknown T’s smooth timbre fits perfectly into this link-up between East and West London, seeing him switch it up from his usual pace and blend rapping and singing in a far softer tone than we’re used to. Titled after the ancient greek gorgon Medusa, the track was produced by Jay Weathers and came complete with a cinematic black-and-white visual directed by the late Luke Biggins and Ashleigh Jadee.

Another summer-ready banger from WSTRN Season, Vol. 2, “Maggie & Stardawg” pays homage to what Haile called “a way of life.” If Maggie and Stardawg (Magnum tonic wine and weed) are the magic combo to a good time, Louis Rei and Haile come a close second in this feel-good anthem. The laid-back, effortless flow of the song is reminiscent of chilling in the ends with some good friends, with references to local chicken shops and the all-important shake of a Magnum bottle before consumption. The music video mirrors this, filmed in the group’s West London locale as they cruise along and chill on the block with some blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearances from Vibbar’s Skits DB and presenter/comedian Hemah K.

Darker than WSTRN’s usual offerings, this Sai So-assisted number highlights their versatility. The title’s patois translation of Armageddon doesn’t go unnoticed; the boys are back in town, ready to remind the world of their greatness and how they can do the street joints just as well as the chart-friendly ones. The braggadocious tone feels like a reminder for the people who counted them out that they are here stay. A rap-focused offering, Louis Rei, Akelle and South London’s Sai So shine on the track, with hook-master-Haile blessing it for the win.

“A-List”, WSTRN’s third ever drop, was a light, breezy, guitar-driven song with smooth melodies, pointing to the crossover appeal they’ve managed to maintain whilst retaining credibility. Akelle’s R&B-leaning opening verse sets the tone for what listeners could expect from WSTRN in the years that followed.