As part of his “Council House Rat” tour, British rapper EsDeeKid made his live Austin debut at Stubb's Waller Creek Amphitheater on Oct. 16 alongside longtime collaborator Rico Ace. The venue was filled with an energetic crowd and enthusiastic fans who rushed to participate in intense mosh pits during the rapper's first tour in North America.
The rapper from Liverpool, England has exponentially grown his audience over the past year ever since releasing his debut album “Rebel” in June 2025. Popular for his strong Scouse accent and his identity concealed by a balaclava, EsDeeKid announced 28 dates in the United States along with other dates in Europe.
Nominated for Breakthrough Artist of the Year at the 2026 BRIT Awards, the rapper’s loyal audience has filled venues across every live performance in the United States, bringing Liverpool drill and horrorcore to American audiences who indulge in the city’s underground hip-hop scene.
The show opened with a throwback to 2010s rap with “Black Beatles” by Rae Sremmurd which the rapper remixed before as part of his early work, encouraging an enthusiastic crowd to jam along. EsDeeKid then jumped into the stage to perform “Rottweiler,” which is featured in his debut album and is produced by Wraith9, a London-based producer known for “innovative keyboard techniques” according to Ones to Watch zine.
The excitement in the crowd increased as the show continued with one of the rapper’s most popular tracks, “4 Raws.” The song further catapulted the rapper to fame after releasing a remix version with Timothée Chalamet, who had been rumored to be hiding under the EsDeeKid persona according to fan conspiracy theories.
The venue was filled with the haunting sound of ATL trap, and cloud rap characterized by menacing synth sounds with intense vocal distortions. In a hazy atmosphere fueled by reverb-heavy vocals, Rico Ace joined the stage to perform popular collaborations like “LV Sandals” and “Phantom,” which is EsDeeKid’s most streamed song on Spotify with more than 400 million streams.
The setlist also included some of the rapper’s early work, with tracks like “Ferragamo” and “Bally,” both released in 2024. Fan status in the crowd featured a blend of longtime listeners or “day one’s” as well as casual underground rap enjoyers, both rapping along to every verse regardless of the popularity of the tracks played.
Filling the stage with smoke and euphoria, the rapper gave Gen-Z underground fans a night full of intense moshing, sweat, and unique tracks that blend dream-like production with glitchy riffs and glamorous verses. The show ended in a full-circle moment with “Century” which had been already played as the third track on the setlist, ending the night with its powerful lyrics. By the end, every member of the crowd was captured by EsDeeKid’s ego-driven, dark artistic aura.