03 Jul U’mau & Friends @ The Troubadour Club, London | Live Review
Live showcases come two a penny in London and are often a hit-and-miss affair. Thus it’s always a relief to stumble across up and coming acts who set such high standards that they leave the rest lagging behind. These discoveries are motivation enough to keep going to such events. Last Wednesday at the Troubadour Club, South-West London was a case in point.
I went with the intention of watching singer-songwriter U’mau perform some new material with her terrific band-and she did not disappoint. I didn’t bargain, however, on the room-silencing talents of composer, pianist and vocalist
24 May Maria Rita at Koko, London; 18 May | Live Review
The Brazilian living legend singer Maria Rita shook a packed Koko house on Tuesday night amidst an electrified crowd of Brazilondoners, cameras ready to click and hips ready to samba from the word ‘go’ and ‘Maria’. She opened the stage-sky glittering in red and bathed in alternating shades of ocre, indigo, rasberry and emerald that accompanied our traveling with her, through no less than 20 songs, taken from her three albums, Maria Rita, Segundo and Samba Meu.
This tiny graceful woman began her singing stellar trajectory in 2003 upon the launch of her first album Maria Rita. Six latin Grammys on and numerous tours, Maria Rita returned to London after
24 Nov LIVE REVIEW: Beverley Knight in Birmingham
With a career spanning 15 years, 6 studio albums, over a million album sales and several high profile awards, Beverley Knight has long been lauded as the reigning 'Queen of UK Soul' by mainstream media, however she is not without her detractors. I doubt there are many who would deny Beverley's vocal abilities, nonetheless many have criticised her material as not being up to standard, and she has so far failed to have that 'mega-hit' which has catapulted her to super-stardom.
04 Jul EVENT REVIEW: ONWORDS & UPWORDS LAUNCH
Friday 3 July saw the launch of ‘Onwords & Upwords’ bi-monthly showcase, the brainchild of accomplished Spoken Word artist, Richard Smartt Jnr better known as [Verb]swish.
Verbs explained that he wanted to put on a night that gave spoken word as much of an equal billing as good music. He didn’t want poets rushed off stage to make room for ‘loud music that would only deafen us’. Verbs kept the line up simple; four quality artists spread over the evening. The show wasn’t bursting at the seems with acts therefore the audience could really appreciate each one to the full. The performances were stripped down to bare essentials, proving that none of the artists on the night were your flash-in-the-pan types, with an over-reliance on clever production to hide mediocrity. These are the real deal.