Vocals & Verses
has been responsible for bringing some of the year’s most accomplished
underground singers and poets to the fore. The Christmas Special edition of the
bi-monthly showcase promised to see out the year with a bang. It was a people’s
choice version of the music and poetry showcase where the public were able to
vote for their favourite eight past performers. The line up for this highly
anticipated event included MOBO award winner Rachel Kerr, former MOBO unsung winner Jacob Banks, Soul-folk singer JP
Cooper and emotive spoken artists such as
LionHeart and G.R.E.E.d.S.
It was a fantastic night of some of the best up and coming
talent that London’s live event scene has to offer held at West End’s 229 The Venue. Resident host and
comedian, Kae Kurd conducted proceedings while the really quite awesome house
band kept the crowd entertained in the breaks with their quirky, soulful
interpretations of popular songs.
Scandinavian soul singer, Marie Dahlstrom was the first performer of the evening. Her version
of the Phil Collins classic, “In The Air Tonight” was popular with the crowd
who whooped and hollered their appreciation when the familiar chorus kicked in.
Singer Jacob Banks, whose career has
been steadily gaining momentum throughout the year, gave an elegantly paired
down performance. He began with a beautifully re-imagined interpretation of
Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On”. Instantly, the uniquely smooth rasp of his
vocals almost sent the largely female crowd into frenzy. His performance was a
slice of modern cool intertwined with the finest vintage Motown spirit.
MOBO award
winning singer Rachel Kerr did not
disappoint her fans in the crowd. She performed the heftiest set of the night
and was vocally on point throughout her polished, energetic, gospel spectacle. The performance from soulful- folk singer, JP Cooper was one of the many highlights
of the showcase. His selection of charmingly humble acoustic songs created a
delicately reflective mood, which was perfect for this end of year edition of Vocals
& Verses. His set included songs from both his EPs. There were a few quiet groans
of disappointment that Cooper did not perform his superb ballad, “The Only
Reason”- which is fast becoming a favourite among fans. But nonetheless,
Cooper’s performance was completely stunning.
This special edition of Vocals & Verses featured a great
crop of talented artists. And although the “Vocals” component of the show was
amazing- it was actually the “Verses” component that truly stole the show. The
favourite poets from past showcases, once again brought their own unique
artistry to the stage, reasserting the power and beauty to be found in today’s
urban poetry scene. Open Mike performed his poems, “The Time Traveller’s Wife” and “A
Tale of Two Haitians” with atmospheric musical accompaniment from the house
band. The softly spoken poet’s hypnotic delivery created calm stillness, which encouraged
the audience to listen out for the intricate narrative twists within his poems.
When emerging poet LionHeart performed his unique
combination of politically and emotionally astute poems. You could almost feel
a breeze from the collective swoon of the females in the audience. He gave a
confident, self- assured performance, demonstrating his artistic appetite for
clever word play. Anthony Anaxagorou’s
politically conscious performance also stood out- the simple clarity of his
poems spotlights the complexity of his message. His set made the audience sit
up in their seats and take note.
South London poet G.R.E.E.d.S
performed excerpts from his extended work “Confessions of a Teenager”. It’s
a series of coming of age poems, which document his migration from Nigeria to
England and his various experiences during this time. His piece on child
abduction was particularly stirring. His powerfully emotive delivery
transported the 300+ audience to a reality that seemed like a world away from
where they sat. It was a truly sobering experience that moved some to tears.
The night included an open mic section featuring acts chosen
by the public and the hilarious trademark segment “The Verse Off” in which two randomly chosen audience members must
wax lyrical about a given subject.
This was a very well organised event. The professional yet
welcoming attitude of the Vocals & Verses team meant the show ran smoothly
and came across as effortlessly efficient. This, combined with all the
inspiring performances means the People’s Choice Edition of Vocals & Verses
lived up to everything it promised to be. Roll on next year!
As written for Mixtape Madness
