EsDeeKid’s short, sold-out Mod Club shows deliver punk-tinged intensity

EsDeeKid played two sold-out nights at Toronto’s Mod Club, serving a compact but combustible set that lasted about 40 minutes. The Liverpool rapper, masked and high-energy, pushed the 600-capacity crowd into repeated circle pits and sustained moshing.

Fans treated the shows as must-see events. Tickets resold up to roughly $425 on Ticketmaster, and at least one concertgoer flew in from Winnipeg to catch the performance.

EsDeeKid kept the tempo fast and aggressive. He repeatedly urged the audience to open up the pit, and they obliged, trading typical rap-concert energy for something closer to 1970s punk shows. The set mixed solo tracks with appearances from tourmates, and he returned for a single-song encore.

Songs included fan favourites and newer cuts. He played “Phantom,” now a streaming hit, plus “Scatti,” “Getting’ It In,” and closed the main set with “Tartan,” “5am,” and “Panic” before punching into “Rottweiler.” The night finished with one final number, “Century.”

EsDeeKid emerged across 2024 with a masked persona and a sound that blends cloud rap, trap and a punk aesthetic. He performs with a balaclava that covers most of his face and raps in a pronounced Scouse accent about nightlife, drugs and branded excess.

His debut album, Rebel, and the single “Phantom” drove viral attention. “Phantom” has amassed hundreds of millions of streams, and the artist’s profile accelerated after collaborations and a widely viewed remix video. Rumours about his identity circulated online earlier, and a high-profile cameo on a remix only intensified the chatter.

The Mod Club stops were brief but significant: the venue’s size and the sold-out status underline a growing Canadian audience for the U.K. underground scene. The short running time did not bother concertgoers. Many left saying the intensity and pacing made the experience feel complete.

Resale prices and last-minute buyers suggest demand will push EsDeeKid into larger rooms on future North American runs. The combination of viral streaming numbers and a confrontational stage persona positions him among acts likely to cross over beyond underground circuits.

The Toronto shows were short, loud and decisive. EsDeeKid’s Mod Club run showcased a grimy, punk-adjacent strain of UK rap that translates in a small, intense live setting, and it left little doubt his next Toronto date will require a bigger room.