Diary of Soul Search: Day One

Originally posted: Wednesday September 3rd, 2008

I started my research into finding out what’s out in the UK soul scene. I was actually surprised at the amount of soul events that are being held in London. So far there are 3 nights this week, and 3 nights next week. Tomorrow is Remedy, a night dedicated for open mic, at Oh! Bar in Camden. Will be going with a few friends of mine so hopefully be a good start to this Soul Search.

The last ‘soul’ event I attended turned out to be quite a disappointment. I went to a slam poetry night in Stratford. It featured poets and singers. The poets – why is it that most poets who perform spoken word all seem to speak in the same, over accentuated, over punctuated way? Does. Every. Sentence. Have. A. Period. In. Between. Each. Word? I don’t know. To me, it seems a bit cliché. I have yet to come across a poetry session that doesn’t conform to the mold of a typical Black poet. However, music is different. Yes, soul artists do have the stigma of scatting and talking about ‘Brown Skin’ and the like – but there are refreshing artists out there.

One comes to mind that I had the pleasure of seeing perform a few months ago. An African/Indian day event was held at South Bank University that featured a variety of entertainment such as fashion shows, stand-up comedy, singers and dancers. One such singer, along with an amazing band that backed her, was called Flo. Yes, a cliché name, which made me a bit apprehensive. However, I was proven quite wrong when this half Chinese, half Jamaican singer opened her mouth. A mixture of spoken word and sultry singing complemented with the smooth jazzy music made for an inspiring show. And although she performed yet another song about a ‘dark skinned brotha’, the lyrics were so captivating and sensual, that all I could do was daydream about ebony hands caressing my skin.

So, with that in mind, my expectation for tomorrow's open mic is open-minded. I’m looking forward to seeing how big the crowd is and how many performers are going to do their thang. With UK soul not being a big scene, in the Western world in general, I’m already pleased that there more nights than I thought there would be dedicated to lyrical vibes.