Taking place last weekend was the OneTaste Festival, an eclectic mix of music, spoken word, dance, film, theatre and alternative concepts. The festival brought together some of the best emerging talent in a wide range of genres and styles that sat harmoniously side by side on the One Taste stage. Founded by producer Danni Evans and singer Jamie Woon in 2004, One Taste was created to showcase the best of emerging talent on the London arts scene, giving a platform for artists and performers in a multitude of disciplines.
Starting at 1pm last Sunday, the festival drew an assorted and varied audience. The relaxed and friendly atmosphere created a welcoming environment for those nursing Sunday afternoon hangovers. Upon arrival music and poetry lofted out from the three floors of entertainment. First to catch the ear of Soul Culture was Poeticat, a matter of fact female spoken word artist from west London. Backed by a three piece hip hop and flamenco infused band, Poeticat delivered her musings on the day to day dramas experienced by a young Londoner. Her poems focused on the emotional fallout of relationships gone wrong and were laced with a sincerity that seemed to genuinely relate to the audience.
Next up was singer songwriter Brooke Sharkey who performed a set of emotive songs accompanying herself on acoustic guitar. Sharkey performed with an emotional and vocal range that bellied her delicate demeanour, often bursting into powerfully soulful riffs and melodies sung in both English and French.
Alex Gwyther, a young poet from south London then performed a humorous yet frank selection of poems that dealt with the experiences of a 21st century bohemian jack the lad. Most notable was the poem “At an Open Mic” which had the audience both blushing and laughing in equal measure as it depicted a first hand “poet groupie” experience. Gwyther delivers his poetry with a UK Hip Hop twist reminiscent of Braintax and The Streets.
Amongst the other acts performing at the One Taste festival were, Speakers Corner Quartet, Park Bench Poet, Bridgette Amofah and the number 1 selling Newton Faulkner. All round an entertaining and inspiring event.
For more information on OneTaste visit their website.
Reviewed by Chris O’Gorman.
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