Last week Tuesday (December 6), I had the privilege of being invited to the last Style & Substance live music showcase of the year put together by London-based event managers Sistova Production. This showcase - tagged Style & Substance - Battle of the Sexes - saw the otherwise all-female music showcase invite some of the most promising emerging UK male artists and performers to pit their talent against a selection of up and coming UK female artists and performers plus it was also in aid of the Fibromyalgia Association UK charity...
Hosted by R&B/Soul singer-songwriter Dionne Reid and Spoken Word artist and performance poet G.R.E.Ed.S who both put on stellar performances as hostess and host respectively, the night began with some very powerful and thought-provoking poetry from fast-rising poet and playwright Dean Atta who did three pieces - "Revolution", "Fatherless Nation" and "Therapy" - the last of which was particularly compelling. Another Spoken Word artist and poet took the stage right after in the form of Deanna Rodger. Having been introduced unto the stage as one who had performed everywhere from 10. Downing Street to Buckingham Palace, her reputation certainly preceded her and Ms. Rodger did NOT disappoint, performing "Where I'm From", "Poverty Driven" and the very excellent "Now-a-Days".
Now unto the music side of the night and emerging singer/songwriter Kyra took to the stage alongside her guitarist to perform a 3-song acoustic set which she kicked off with a very interesting cover of Taio Cruz's "Dynamite and closed with the infectious and catchy original song titled "I Hate My Job". Following closely after her and representing for the guys in this "battle of the sexes" was singer, songwriter and musician Wilson who was playing the keyboards live for the first time as part of his set. He also began with a cover as he tackled the John Legend favorite "Ordinary People" and got the crowd singing along. He finished his short set with an original song titled "The First Class" which he mentioned was off of his forthcoming debut EP.
A short break ensued right after, with the DJs on the night DJ Vibes and Carmen Leigh - male and female to keep in tune with the theme of the night of course - providing the audience with some really top records to keep the energy going through out the interval. Next up to take the stage was UK Grime/Hip-Hop veteran Shystie who sadly only performed one record - her Funky House smash hit "Pull It". Closing out the night's proceedings in superb style were Indie/Hip-Hop band The Stow with their high-energy full band experience. The band performed two covers - one originally by Adele and the other by Bob Marley - as well as their original songs "Lifeline" and the brilliant "Give A Damn".
All in all, Style & Substance: The Battle of the Sexes was a thoroughly enjoyed evening of live music and poetry. All the performers and artists on show were really good with the poetry from Deanna Rodger and Dean Atta really doing it for me the most. Special mention goes to the hosts, Dionne Reid and G.R.E.Ed.S who were especially funny and who carried the evening along smoothly.
#Peace.Love.StyleandSubstance
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