ContrastHackney’s Youth Magazine

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KylaBashy

Issue 13

What’s On. .Sept - Oct 09

Polarbear ..News

BashyHe acts, raps, has his own clothing label - what can’t this man do?

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Contents04 News What’s happening in Hackney

ContributorsChristian JensenTehya HeymanKasey BishopPhoebe Ryan-faalRachel EriemoRhasan BrunnerAbi OyéwumiDurelle StevensElsa MampuyaLara AkinnawoGordon AdeyemiMerzan RoudetteBianca ManuCalleen EverittDanielle BernardGary WattsOla ASymone-Monet CodringtonToyah RoseYinka Pearse

Editorial Team

06 Bubbly Bubbly Funky-House Singer Kyla

10 Bear Good Spoken-Word Artist Polarbear

14 Spit it Out Grime MC and Actor Bashy

18 Making it HappenFeatured Youth Group

23 Learning Curve Mental Health at School

24 ReviewsTheatre, Music, Dance, Books

28 What’s OnWhere to be in Hackney

CitySafe began after the murder of Jimmy Mizen in south London. He was

killed the day after his 16th birthday after he got into an argument in a bakery. As things escalated, Jimmy’s attacker threw a glass dish at him that smashed on his jaw and a shard of glass severed the carotid artery in his throat. He bled to death in his brother’s arms.

The CitySafe campaign is run by TELCO, the east London branch of London Citizens, an organisation set up to improve communities and change people’s lives. They are trying

to implement a code of practice to build trust and understanding within communities, and improve relationships so that the streets are safer for young people. Their campaign includes taking young people on walks around Hackney where they visit shops and talk to shopkeepers.

Shopkeepers don’t think that the police respond quickly enough to incidents so either they don’t bother reporting things or they wait until later to do it. Therefore, the police think there’s no hurry, so they don’t rush, which just makes the

You’ll Never Walk AloneFind out how you can get involved with CitySafe, a new campaign which is trying to make Hackney Central a safer place for young people

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shopkeepers less likely to call them in the future.

This is a badly broken relationship. It gets worse and worse, not because of anything anybody’s done, but because of what people expect from other people – their preconceptions. Just like the preconceptions surrounding young people in hoodies, or the preconception that someone who lives in a different postcode or goes to a different school is an enemy, these preconceptions help create the situation they are based on.

CitySafe is trying to undo preconceptions and repair the relationships between young people, the police and shopkeepers. They want 100% reporting of crime and the creation of places where young people who are in distress can go to be safe and find someone there who is able to help them.

And it’s already working. The manager of Marks & Spencer in Hackney said: “We signed up straight away. Any responsible retailer should engage with the community. You can’t take, take, take from a community and not put anything back.”

He was talking at a CitySafe meeting last month at St John’s at Hackney Church (another signed up safe haven for young people) where school kids, residents, local councillors, the police, and all types of organisations had come to start making a difference.

At one point, everyone at the meeting was asked to think of a simple thing they could do to make things better. There were a lot of suggestions: smile at a gang of young people; stop making assumptions about young people; start being more aware of each other’s children; become a mentor for younger children.

One simple thing would be to have more meetings where people get together and commit themselves to doing something good. Luckily, CitySafe have more meetings, and more walks planned. For more information see their website: www.telcocitizens.org.uk

CitySafe is trying to undo preconceptions and repair the relationships between young people, the police and shopkeepers.

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Bubbly BubblyShe’s so damn bubbly! Kyla challenges us to a dance-off and tells us how dreams really can come true. By Bianca Manu, Toyah Rose and Symone-Monet Codrington

How long have you been trying to establish yourself?From about 11, 12, was when I really knew that’s what I wanted to do. I kept singing and singing and singing. At that age, everyone’s asking what do you want to do in your life? What grades do you want? What do you want to be when you’re older? I would answer: a singer. There’s nothing else I wanted to do, I just wanted to be a singer.

I was singing in my room with my hairbrush and doing a lot of karaoke competitions in school and talent shows. It was like a dream I always wanted. When I got to 15, I kind of decided that it wasn’t going to happen. I started to settle and think, well, maybe I’m not going to be a singer, and then all of a sudden, things were just happening.

You have to keep working and working at it, and with a bit of luck, it falls into place. I still don’t know

how it got so established and people ended up knowing who I am. It doesn’t make sense to me. I’m just me and then all of a sudden the track got big and I’m walking down the street and people are like, “You all right Kyla?” And I’m like, “How do they know my name?” How did you get your first break? I wrote a track called ‘Be What You Want To Be’, and I spoke to a venue, got a lot of children in my area who wanted to be dancers and singers, and we put on a big show and that kind of raised a lot of money and that paid for my music video. That caught the eye of Paleface and he said he liked the video and he liked my voice and would we like to do some tracks. We did a track called ‘Think About You’, and ‘Do You Mind’, and I was serious about it but I was just enjoying it. Then the Ministry of Sound got involved, Crazy Couzins did a remix

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and about two months in we got a phone call asking if we wanted to go to Ibiza, and then Ayia Napa, and that’s how it happened.

Who or what inspires you?Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston. When I was singing in my bedroom with my hair brush I’d pretend that I was Mariah Carey and had this amazing voice. So they were big, big artists for me. My mum and dad used to play a lot of vinyl to me so I was listening to a lot of Roberta Flack, Stevie Wonder and the old era.

Did you ever have singing lessons?I had opera lessons – I asked my mum and dad for singing lessons and they didn’t even know where to

begin to look. I had a couple of opera singing lessons and I came back and I was like, “This is not what I wanted to do.” It lasted a couple of months. I wish now that I’d had singing lessons from even younger and carried it on because you can learn so much. I’m learning now. I was in the studio and I was singing a track and someone said that I was whispering, so they made me put bubble gum on the top of my palette, which felt weird but then the whispering was gone. And then I wondered if they would have taught me that if I’d had singing lessons.

What can people expect from your album? I’m not a straight Funky House singer. I’ve got some pop tracks, some electro tracks and even ‘Do You Mind’ is a remix. I’d never heard that kind of music before we got the track back from Crazy Couzins. It was just really new and refreshing. ‘Daydreamin’ is soulful house, and then my next single is completely pop. So when you hear my album, it’s gonna be a mixture.

Tell us about the Do You Mind video.What happened was that I wanted to do something very sparkly and out there, so we picked this sparkly jacket. It was so big that they had to put elastic bands around my wrists so it didn’t keep falling down. We picked the outfit before we planned

My advice would be to keep singing, keep writing and just be you. Don’t give up and don’t let anybody destroy your dream.

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what the video was gonna be. When we sat down with the video people, they had a video of this nightclub with all these flashing lights and the jacket and the nightclub just all came together. I wanted something that wasn’t going to age.

What’s been your best gig?In Liverpool recently I supported N Dubz. There was about 3,000 or 4,000 people there and I was really nervous because although a lot of people have heard the track, I was worried that they wouldn’t know who I am. And I got on there and they were just screaming. It was the nicest experience. I didn’t really want to get off the stage. I just wanted to stay there but I didn’t have any more songs to sing and it would look weird if I was just standing there.

Do you have any advice for aspiring artists?My advice would be to keep singing, keep writing and just be you. Don’t give up and don’t let anybody destroy your dream. Sometimes you’ll meet someone and they’ll say to you, “Oh, I don’t think you’ll be strong enough” or “I don’t see you selling records” or, “You’re an all right singer” and I think sometimes you can go away and start to believe that. So I’d say ignore that and just be you, and keep pushing yourself in people’s faces. Keep at it and don’t give up.

I went to a dance school and I was trying to join in with these dances and not picking up anything, and when I did pick it up, the next day I’d forgotten it all. And I got to the stage where I was like, “This is not what I want to do.” And my dad said, “Are you sure? Don’t give up.” To think that I almost gave up actually makes me cringe. How could I have thought that? It does get disheartening when you’re trying but start feeling like you’re just singing in your bedroom. You do start feeling that, but keep going. Especially with song writing, there is so much you can do. You can give your songs to other artists. There are so many different ways you can do stuff. Just keep going and things do fall into place.

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Bear GoodStoryteller, spoken-word artist, rapper, poet – call him what you will. Polarbear, the West Midlands’ finest export, sure knows how to spin a yarn. Interview by Lara Akinnawo

Why did you pick the name Polarbear?It’s a tragic story: I was obsessed with them when I was a little. When I was primary school age I was tiny. I’d get pushed around a lot. I was obsessed with two things: wildlife programmes and Maradona. I used to watch wildlife programmes on a Sunday afternoon and I watched a David Attenborough one about polar bears and it basically said that polar bears are the only animal on the planet that have no natural predator, except for themselves. Basically, there’s nothing that hunts a polar bear. I tried to get people to call me Polarbear. They were having none of it. Then when I got into hip-hop later on, I needed a name and everyone else was calling themselves stuff like MC I’ll Punchya, MC Knife and I was like – I’ll go with this.

How did you first get started?It was all just a crazy accident that I ran with. A power cut meant I got involved in this world of spoken word,

and before I knew it, I was Polarbear, when there’d been no plan. I saw an opportunity to tell stories where I didn’t have to rely on anybody else. I could just write stories for my own voice and speak it immediately and I thought, well this sounds good to me, so I started writing stories that happened to rhyme.

It was a gig in Birmingham that

It was all just a crazy accident that I ran with. A power cut meant I got involved in this world of spoken word

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was meant to be one thing, but ended up being another where I got up and just rhymed without power, without backing tracks. There was a guy in the audience who saw me and said: “I’d like you to do a gig for me, spoken word.” I was like, “What, talking?” “Yep.” I was like, “Where?” He was like, “Glastonbury.” That was 2005. Like the cliché goes somebody saw me at Glastonbury and then word got around.

What makes you keep doing it? The immediacy. When I first started I was 25. Between 21 and 25, before I graduated – I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. So I’d been doing all these office jobs and been having all these ideas and doing nothing with them, so when it actually started -

I just wrote for days. The reason I keep doing it is because there’s loads of stories that I want to tell.

How would you compare written poetry to performance poetry, and which would you say is more important? I think that good is good, regardless. So if your writing is brilliant you could stand there with a book in front of your face and read it out and it wouldn’t matter. This might sound a bit lame, but there’s poetry in everything. To me it’s the craft of a story and then the form backs up or enhances that story.

I guess I wouldn’t want to say either or. No one I know would ever go to poetry. It’s not for us. So all I ever want to do is tell stories that make sense to people like me. To this day I don’t read much poetry. But then I don’t go to many poetry nights either, because I like stories. I’m not massively drawn to, or excited by the offloading of things. I sound like the Grinch, but I am the Grinch. I don’t like it. If you said to me now – we can go dancing or we can go to a poetry night - I’m gonna go dancing. Having said that, things like poetry slam competitions, it becomes about personality. So much of it is not even about the words, it’s about the personality of the person doing it and our immediate judgement on their motivations for doing it. It’s like school – if someone’s trying too hard you’re not going to be their friend.

If your writing is brilliant you could stand there with a book in front of your face and read it out and it wouldn’t matter

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How would you describe your style? It’s blatantly influenced by the rhyme and hip-hop background. I’ve read things about me, it’s funny: it’s at the point now where people write a bit about you and it’s all about ‘Polarbear’s trademark humour’; ‘Polarbear’s tales of everyday life.’ It’s about ideas, whatever I think I run with it. I think it’s grounded in pictures, all I’m ever trying to do is speak a film. So it becomes a scene, or a detail and I draw it out.

How has your writing changed? I’ve let the nerd out. I’ve always been a closet nerd. Football saved me. I didn’t just completely seem like a nerd but, I am a nerd, and when I like things I get obsessed with them. What’s nice is when you’re idea-led, and you’re selfish enough to be idea-led, you sort yourself out. You can’t repeat.

What are you working on now? I’m writing a story. I’m half way through it. It’s called Return. It’s basically a film script, a screenplay that I’m going to talk, which is going to do a run at the Battersea Arts Centre next spring. I’m really excited about it because it’s not like anything I’ve done before. It’s the story of leaving a place because you feel like you have to, then coming back because you have to as well.

There are some stories that were a

commission for BBC Radio 3 that have become a trilogy. I also got asked a while ago to write a young adult fiction novel. So I wrote some sample chapters, but I’m way behind on that. I perform quite rarely now and it’s nice. The ultimate goal is to be writing and performing every now and again, but writing mostly.

What would you be doing if you weren’t doing this?Probably what I was doing before, which was working for eight months in ridiculously mundane jobs. I don’t know. If you’d have asked me when I was 15 it would have been: footballer. If you’d have asked me at 20, I wouldn’t have had a clue. I was still busy wasting time and brain cells at University. At 25, I’d just discovered this – it seemed a bit weird and felt like it was never going to be a career, and now – I can’t imagine not being a writer. So, if I wasn’t doing this, I’d pretend I wasn’t doing it, but still do it on the sly.

Have you got any tips for aspiring writers?Be character-led, try to step out of what comes easily and be inspired by stuff, but don’t really try to emulate anything, because if you’re good, that’s far too easy to do. Don’t ever write what you think is going to go down well before what you want to write.

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When Bashy’s song ‘Black Boys’ became a success he was still driving buses. People would do a double take when they swiped their Oyster and think, is it? Was that? It can’t be. “I drove buses for a year and I hated it, everyday. When I was driving a bus, my track ‘Black Boys’ had just come out, it was on MTV, it had over a million hits on YouTube, so people were like: no?! They couldn’t believe it. It’s a bit surreal isn’t it? Imagine you just got on a bus and saw someone from Eastenders driving it; you’d just be baffled innit, like what’s going on? I think it was nuts for them.”

It was ‘Black Boys’ that gave Bashy a wider audience and more commercial success. However, there has been some controversy and a lot of rumours about it. “It was a mad time for me, my name popped up on the BNP website and there were videos of the Ku Klux Klan with my song playing in the background. ‘Black Boys’ never got banned. That’s more of a rumour. Someone wrote a complaint to Ofcom and said that it

was racist, but that was it.”Noel Clarke’s film Kidulthood and

the sequel Adulthood, about young people growing up in south London, allowed Bashy to give up the day job. He says it is doing things like this which make him stand out. “I’m an individual, if you look at any of my songs and anything I’ve put out it has been different to everyone else’s. If you look at ‘Black Boys’: there weren’t no track like ‘Black Boys’ before it came out. If you look at Kidulthood to Adulthood – I haven’t seen no one else have a theme song for a film here yet. Then you look at stuff like Ransom, that was like a little film, I haven’t seen anything else like that and then my track ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?’, it’s all bright, I’m dancing in the video, so every time I’ve come it’s been cutting edge. If you think of my music, it’s just musically diverse. It’s just different.”

To make it in this industry you not only have to offer something different and have the talent but you have to have the business mind to

Spit it outBashy gets into his flow about music, acting and how to make it in the industry. By Bianca Manu, Lara Akinnawo, Merzan Roudette, Symone-Monet Codrington and Toyah Rose

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publicise and promote yourself. We asked Bashy what the difference is between wanting something and actually getting it. “Wanting to is the easy part, but to want, is what sparks the initial dream. To get up and do it, it’s a lot harder. You have to have self-belief, you have to make a plan and you have to genuinely want to do what you do. A lot of people just hazily want stuff. You’ve got to want it for a purpose. You’ve got to want it because you love it. ‘Nough people want to do music because they want money. You’re not going to get money. You have to love it and the money and stuff will come. Look for the success first and then the financial gains you’ll get after.”

Bashy certainly lives up to his words: he is one busy man. His single, ‘Your Wish Is My Command’ is out now (featuring H Boogie). He has his own clothing label Bish Bash Bosh, a lead role in a play, which starts at Sadlers Wells and is going on a national tour; he also has a lead in a film called Shank that comes out in May 2010. “The film is set in the future; it’s like really cool, very stylistic. It’s definitely going to be something that pushes British culture that little bit further, especially when it comes to film making.”

24-year-old Bashy had an early start to acting. “I went to the BRIT school for performing arts, but slash that, that’s not even how I really got into it. When I was about five years

I’ve always loved theatre; I did it before I did spitting or rapping

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old, I went to a school called Theatre Arts. It was like an after school thing with older kids. I would be there acting, tap dancing, singing – just doing loads of stuff, for entertaining. It went from there. In secondary school I got an A* in Drama at GCSE. I auditioned for the BRIT school and got in! I’ve always loved theatre; I did it before I did spitting or rapping.”

Bashy’s debut album, Catch Me If You Can, was out this summer. “At the time, when I named it I was thinking, I’m ahead of everyone but they just don’t even know yet, and also it’s about breaking away from the system, like a runaway slave, so it’s like I’m getting away. Catch me if you can, I don’t care.” He has described the album as his autobiography. “It’s music about life, all aspects of it and all the different emotions that are in my life and any individual’s life. I think that’s why my album’s so relatable because it talks about love on it, hate, family

problems, working, trying to get to live your dreams, what I was doing before, all my experiences, so my album’s about life.”

He has also worked with Damon Albarn on an album called Africa Express and had many artists work on the ‘Black Boys’ collaborations. We asked what he thinks about songs made with a positive message to inspire young people. “For me going out to make those songs, it’s just cheesy. I just think that that should be in you with the music you make. People feel realness. If you just come together just to get press and get on TV, that’s crap. You want to make it so it touches the people and the demographic that it’s meant to touch. It’s about being genuine. It’s got to be credible. It’s got to stand for something.”

So what does the future hold for Bashy? “In the next five to 10 years I hope I can fully achieve my potential, which is massive. The universe has sent me so many talents that I just want to make sure that I can utilise them and use them to the best of my

ability, get as far as I can with them. So where will I be in 10 years?

Who knows? We’ll see.”

Makin’ It Happen is an award-winning project that was started five years ago by IDS, a housing association that manages three estates in Hackney: Stoke Newington, Navarino Mansions and Evelyn Court. They trained 20 young peer representatives, who spoke to young people and older residents on the estates and began organising a wide range of events and activities.

One of the first young people to get involved was Ola: “Letters were sent to every house that had young people in and it said there was gonna be refreshments, so I thought, yeah, I’m not doing nothing. So I went down there. I was about 14. They were

telling us about what they wanted to do and it sounded interesting.

“We started working in all three IDS estates and we set up the youth club that we’re in now, taking kids out on trips. In time, I went on courses and training and started attending meetings and forums and just doing things to help young people. Every year I was learning.”

Now Ola is a youth worker at the Makin’ it Happen youth club in Stoke Newington.

“When MIH first opened we applied for money for facilities,” says Charlie, one of the young people who use the youth club. “We used the money to buy table tennis sets,

Makin’ It Happen is a youth project that is helping young people feel part of their communities. Contrast caught up with Ola A, one of the founding members

Making it happen

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pool table and game consoles. We’ve organised trips for younger children, trips outside the area to engage young people from different areas, and camping trips as an experience.”

“We’ve got an IT room now, and funding for a music studio,” says Ola. “We’ve been go-karting, cinema, museums, even to Hackney Empire. We watched Mother Goose when it was on. No one’s doing it like us. Hard work and dedication that’s all we’re doing.”

“I joined MIH to feel a part of the community,” says Abraham. “I have so much fun in the youth club with my friends, playing PS3 and table tennis, going cinema and learning new stuff like sex education and other subjects. And the staff at MIH are really kind. One member of staff teaches me boxing. Every summer MIH holds a family fun day. Everyone goes. There will be so much food and fun and games that you will never want to leave.”

The family fun days happen every year and are a big part of what Makin’ it Happen is all about – young people, families and older residents all coming together to have a good time, get to know each other and feel like they’re all part of the same

community. “The family fun day is in July,” says

Ola. “That’s five we’ve had and they keep getting bigger every year. They run straight from the morning to the evening when the food’s gone. There’s everything from basketball and cricket to eating, games, bouncy castles and face painting. Everyone’s out of their house. Everyone knows about it. It’s really good.” Makin’ it HappenBeckers youth clubBeckers EstateRectory RoadN16 7QX

If you would like your youth project featured in Contrast, call Anna or David on 020 8521 5495

or email contrast@socialspider.com

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I was about 12 when I first developed mental health problems. They manifested at school: I was disorganised, constantly handed homework in late, felt extremely uncomfortable about being in groups of people and, at one point, self-harmed. This continued at College when I took my A-levels; I would regularly miss lectures. I felt extremely out of place at the College; more so than at my Grammar School. I had actually overdosed twice during my time at College, one of the times was before a drama performance, as I couldn’t face anything at the time.

What sort of reaction did you get at school from teachers and other pupils?

Looking back, I am extremely frustrated at the assumption of guilt I felt at school for missing work. It was probably because the teachers were under so much stress to uphold the image of the school. However, it wouldn’t have taken much to book an appointment with a counsellor or educational therapist to be certain there wasn’t an underlying problem. Also, surely being put under more stress would do nothing to get me motivated again? I don’t believe punishment is always the best

Gary Watts shares his experience of struggling with a mental health difficulty and shows that schools have a lot to learn about how to deal with it

Learning curve

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answer, especially when I was rarely disruptive in class, and was always polite.

I’m completely split on how friends dealt with the situation; my best friend became withdrawn in conversations with me (although I felt equally uncomfortable that he knew). Other friends were more supportive, and I arguably grew closer to them since I came out about my self-harming. Although the general consensus was still “pull yourself together”. I think part of the problem was put perfectly by a friend of mine: “By the age of 10, a child knows what a cold is, yet has never heard of mental illness.” People on my course made comments that I acted weird, particularly a friend I knew from drama. What frustrates me more is that on the surface he understood, and told me he did, yet I regularly heard of him making comments about actions I had taken.

When I told teachers, overall they were extremely supportive. I first told a teacher in year 11 that I’d been self-harming (as I didn’t want friends to see when I was getting changed). It was a few months after I started College that the problems reared up again. I, in a way, broke down after an English class as I couldn’t cope with all these feelings and had missed a lot of work. At first I felt comforted as my teacher’s son also had mental health problems. During the second year of A-Levels I had another breakdown. This time I was referred

As the years went by, feelings that I would rather be dead than catch up on my homework steadily increased.

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to the school counsellor (at least they had one, unlike the grammar school), and again, to begin with, this teacher was a real help.

Did you try to hide the problems you were having?

At school, to begin with I did. The first time I really tried to deal with the problem was in year 11, when I saw the school nurse about it. However, her help was very basic and focused on my diet and sugar intake. I am not denying a person’s diet can have a massive affect on their mood, but it was the kind of “brush over it” attitude, which didn’t help.

I have to be honest, once I “came out” I initially relished the attention of my peers, and also the feeling that I was part of a group now, both at school and online. On one occasion I said I took happy pills to a group of year 8 students I used to help. It was probably because I was suffering from mania at the time. Since then, my reaction from the entire year went from bullyish to hostile.

How did your experiences at school affect your mental health?

The isolation felt from bullying was overwhelming. Although none of the people responsible would probably class it as bullying, every day I felt extremely hurt and patronised by one person or another. It affects me

to this day.I was hugely upset about my

treatment for missing homework. It wasn’t ever something I meant to do. As the years went by, feelings that I would rather be dead than catch up on my homework steadily increased. The thing is when I did do homework, it was always A standard.

How are you now? What are your plans for the future?

I now have a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, and the medication has stopped me feeling suicidal. I am studying a degree at Lincoln University, and after spending two years trying to get the right support from the NHS I am now in my first year again, and have virtually completed the year.

I am also involved with the Very Important Kids Project, as well as Right-Here, a similar project, and locally I am involved in self-help projects, meetings on the crisis service and mental health promotion.

My plans are to bring an end to the elitist grammar school system. The fact that the school had to uphold its image and league table results only added to the stress of pupils and teachers alike. They were only bothered about grades; I was pulled out of some GCSEs at the time and I’ve learnt since that it was because they didn’t want it to affect their league table result. The school isn’t

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participating in local counselling initiatives, and there is a blatant disregard for students’ wellbeing, with grades being the focus.

Every school should have a curriculum for relaxation and meditation, from primary school to college. This is as important as PE. Problem-solving techniques should be taught early as well, as they can be used to help mental health problems, and for other issues in life.

By the age of 10, a child knows what a cold is, yet has never heard of mental illness

YoungMinds is a charity committed to improving the mental health and emotional wellbeing of children and young people. www.youngminds.org.uk

Right-Here Aims to change the way in which the mental health of young people aged 16-25 is addressed. www.right-here.org.uk

Skill Information and advice for students with disabilities. It operates a free helpline and its website has contact numbers for disability advisers. Helpline: 0800 328 5050 Tuesdays and Thursdays www.skill.org.uk info@skill.org.uk

Mind Operates a helpline and a network of local associations. Helpline 0845 766 0163 www.mind.org.uk

Off Centre works with young people in Hackney aged 13 and over.www.offcentre.org.uk

CHYPS+ based in hackney, can also offer a range of support.www.chyps.co.uk

Further Information

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The Spotlight Review 22nd August 2009

Rising Tide hosted its increasingly popular Spotlight event at Ocean on the 22nd of August. The free monthly event was hosted by Radio1Xtra presenter, Sarah Jane Crawford. Spotlight gives its audience a dose of different musical genres including Grime, Soul, Funky House and Acoustic – all under one roof. It is an infusion of poets, dancers, musicians, DJs and fashion designers.

The night was opened by the ‘soulful empress’ Floetic Lara whose voice was reminiscent of American soul and R&B singer, Jill Scott; sending me on a mini trip to heaven. She was followed by Project Caramel, two young female artists, who performed

a song called ‘Alice is Cool’. Their clothing was as entertaining and vibrant as their act. Other female acts on the night included Kirestenna, a singer/songwriter from Hackney who, after a quick interview with Sarah Jane performed her tracks ‘Queen on a Bridge’ and ‘Superstar’.

Spotlight’s innovative approach to audience participation impressed everyone there. One of the things they do is an open mic slot, which gives audience members an opportunity to perform on stage for 60 seconds with a chance to win a slot on the next show. The acts included Egoella, Shella, Shimdot and Wreckz. Wreckz’ literally breathtaking performance won over the crowd with his impressive breath control. Shortly after Floetic Lara took to the stage keeping the crowd entranced as she improvised throughout the break.

As the event drew to an end, Bongoman performed ‘I like to Play my Bongos in the Morning’, a Funky House track by Crazy Cousinz. Rising Tide’s Spotlight event is definitely worth going to see - and it’s free! Even more reason to go and see it!

Bianca Manu

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The Get it on the Floor dance competition came around again this year and it was even bigger and better! The event was created to bring together different dancers and showcase them in a positive light, whilst incorporating other performers into the show, such as singers, poets and comedians. The competition is divided into different sections, with a £250 prize for the community group winners and £50 for solo freestyle performers.

Opening the night was Yasmin, who preformed an African comedy act before an official opening to the show by Kimberly Jay, a well-established dancer. As the curtains rose, the air was filled with spontaneous shrieks to reveal dancers Unity Youth in position. In awe, I watched as they entangled their limbs around their bodies. The bar was raised high and

definitely remained that way. As the night went on, so did the acts: Status, 4scene, Kurupt, Emotionz, Exodus and Wet Wipes to name just a few.

Last year’s winners for the community section, Divine, also performed before watching other community groups: Innovate, Liez, Esteem, Rebellion, Caution, Infinite and this year’s community group winners, Shysique compete for the £250 cash prize. Other stand out acts on the night were Solo Freestyler winners Tolu and Kloe who battled it out for the £50 cash prize.

Just when you thought the night couldn’t get any better there was a surprise performance by ‘who’s talking the hardest’ Grime artist, Giggs. I wonder how they will top it off next year?

Bianca Manu

Get it on the Floor Review 23rd of August

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Picture: Unity

Theatre Review:Once on this Island The musical Once on this Island is a playful, romantic mish-mash of tales and myths. It is set on a Caribbean island and is about an orphan, Ti Moune, who cannot understand that on the island light-skinned means privilege and dark-skinned means peasants. She rescues privileged Daniel Beauxhomme (Wayne Perry) from a car crash and magically nurses him back to health, but then she is not allowed to love him, despite their attraction to one another.

The cast are very talented. Their vocal range is fantastic, I particularly enjoyed watching Shyko Amos who played Ti Moune, and Sharon D. Clark (Lola Griffin in Holby City) who plays Asaka. They both have powerful voices and danced with great rhythm and dynamics, African contemporary dance describes it best.

The director, Susie McKenna, says that the show had been a favourite of hers for some time. Set in Haiti,

it has such a lifelike feel to it: the lights and props were so realistic that I wanted to dive on set and escape from the UK. McKenna gives the show great choreography inspired by 1930s ethnic choreographer, Katherine Dunham. The result is a production with physical energy, a visual pleasure, colourful costumes, masks, flags, oversized fans and flowing fabrics that make the whole performance magical.

I would recommend this amazing 90 minutes of musical theatre to anyone, whether they are into musicals or not. There is one lush tune after another. It stirs up exotic feelings to a calypso-reggae beat, Once on this Island is a Caribbean cruise of a musical that offers the audience sun and shine. You are likely to leave the theatre ready to dance down the street, with a smile on your face and a spring in your step.

Phoebe Ryan-Faal

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Book Review:Submarine, Joe DunthorneThe voice of Oliver Tate in Joe Dunthorne’s debut novel Submarine is a mix of precocious wit and emotional confusion that merge to create a narrative of teenage anxiety, so true to life that it resonates long after the last page is turned. Oliver’s obsession with long words such as ‘Triskaidekaphobia’ and his self-taught clinical way of analysing the people around him are at times endearing, (through simple observations he diagnoses his neighbours as ‘Pansexual’

‘Knacker’ and ‘Zoroastrians’). H o w e v e r , D unthorne e n s u r e s that Oliver

is not an

unrealistically amiable character when, at times, his astuteness affects his emotional perception. For instance, when his girlfriend Jordana asks him in an email to visit her mother in hospital, he does not reply, concluding that her email had an overriding tone of ‘neediness’ and stating the phrase ‘Treat ‘em mean, keep ‘em keen’.

Set in South Wales, Submarine charts Oliver’s humorous successes and failures in understanding the world of adults, sex, relationships and identity. It is a crude, hilarious and intelligent account of a teenager’s coming of age which has rightfully been likened to The Catcher in The Rye and Adrian Mole. If you enjoyed either, then this book is a must read.

Lara Akinnawo

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What’s OnPrice: Free Tuesday, 15 September 2009 - Tuesday, 17 November 2009 5pm - 6pmAge group: 11-19 Experience capoeira; a unique combination of dance, martial arts, music, drama and acrobatics. Capoeira comes from the streets of Brazil and is now a growing culture in London that you can enjoy. East London Capoeira Group and Project Gem are offering a free 10-week capoeira course. Venue: Geffrye Community Centre, Falkirk Street, N1 6SD. Contact: Simon Atkinson. Email: fantasma35@hotmail.com Tel: 07779 031273. www.capoeira.co.uk

From 14th September 2009Hipnotic – Hip-Hop masterclasses

From 15th September 2009Photography workshop

From 15th September 2009Capoeira experience

Venue: 130 Hoxton Street, N1 6SH Price: FreeAge 13-19Sessions take place between 12 and 7pmJoin the Hipnotic crew for six weeks of hip-hop master classes leading to a final showcase for family and friends.

Tel: 020 7684 0060 email: ed@hoxtonhall.co.uk

Venue: 49 Provost Street, Hackney, N1 7NZ Price: FreeAge 13 to 25. Every Tuesday 3.30 – 9.00pmA unique opportunity to learn print photography in the Blue Hut darkroom.

To register contact SkyWay: Tel: 020 7729 6970 email: info@skyway.uk.com or just turn up.

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There will be a procession of floats and when the procession arrives at Hackney Downs there will be performances and music as well as family sporting activities for everyone to enjoy.

Floats will be leaving from Hackney Town Hall at 11.30 on 27 September 2009. They will go

north up Mare Street, left along Amhurst Road after the bridge, right onto Pembury Road then up to Hackney Downs for around 12.30pm.

To find out more about Carnival contact Hackney’s 2012 Unit:Tel: 020 8356 2012 Email: olympics@hackney.gov.uk

Venue: Across HackneyPrice: Free11am registration, 11.30am start. Beginning at Hackney Community College, Shoreditch Campus, Falkirk St. then finishing at London Fields, where from 1-2pm there will be speeches, refreshments, stalls and performances.

More info at www.weekofpeace.org, or on 020 8356 3334

6.00am - 12.01pm. Have a coffee with your friends, family and colleagues and together raise money for people affected by cancer.

Go to macmillan.org.uk/coffee for more details and to find your nearest event.

Contact: Macmillan Cancer Support. Email: coffeemorning@mktpoint.com

27th September 2009Hackney Carnival

25th September 2009 The World’s Biggest Coffee Morning

19th September 2009Hackney Peace Walk

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Venue: Britannia Leisure Centre, 40 Hyde Road, N1 5JU10.00am – 4.00pmFree

Disabled people of all ages and abilities, their families, carers and friends are invited to enjoy a day of sporting activities

Contact: 020 7014 7005/6 or resourcecentre@hackneyark.chpct.nhs.uk

25th October 2009 Hackney Disability Open Day

Venue: Rhodeswell Road, E14 7TW Price: £5.00 All ages 10.30 – 11.30amChildren and young people who can self-propel themselves can work on their fitness, meet new people, and work towards events as the London Youth Games. Contact Marianne Sharpe: 079 8481 5760

3rd October 2009Athletic Wheelchair Racing

12pm - 6.30pmCost: Under 14 years are free, 14 years and over £1Age group: Children, teenagers and adultsVenue: Our Lady & St Joseph Church Hall. 100a Balls Pond Road, N1 4AGDisabled access: Yes Come together, to learn and celebrate black history. There will be a kids’ zone, with face painting and various arts and crafts activities. A Caribbean style tombola, raffle prizes, cultural cuisine and live entertainment.

Contact: Suzanne Asphall Email: designsbysuzanne01@hotmail.com Tel: 07956 905730.

24th October 2009African-Caribbean and Cultural Family Fun Day

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Contrast is published by Social Spider. Social Spider is a Community Interest Company registered in England, No 4846529The views expressed in Contrast do not necessarily reflect those of Social Spider or Hackney Council.© 2009 Social Spider Community Interest Company ISSN 1754-0623 Contrast is printed on paper that comes from sustainable sources and is monitored by the Forest Stewardship Council, an international organisation that promotes the responsible management of the world’s forests.

Advertising: If your organisation is interested in advertising, please call Stephen on 020 8521 7956 or email: stephen@socialspider.com Download our media pack from www.socialspider.com/contrastmediapack for information on our rates and specifications.Printing managed by: Ten Alps Publishing, 9 Savoy Street, London, WC2E 7HR Tel: 020 7878 2300.Contrast team: Abi Oyéwumi, Christian Jensen, Durelle Stevens, Rachel Eriemo, Elsa Mampuya, Rhasan Brunner and Lara Akinnawo. Kasey Bishop, Phoebe Ryan-faal, Bianca Manu, Calleen Everitt, Symone-Monet Codrington, Toyah Rose, Merzan Roudette and Gordon Adeymi.Contrast assistant designers: Merzan Roudette and Gordon Adeymi.Contrast staff team: Mark Brown, David Floyd, Stephen Gardiner, Laurie Penny, David War-rington & Anna Selby.The Contrast team would like to thank: Hackney Council, SkyWay, Agnes Marquis & Jimmy the Wheel.Contrast is funded by Hackney Youth Opportunity Fund, which is managed by young people in Hackney Youth Service.Contrast is supported by: SkyWay, Hackney Libraries, Hackney Youth Parliament and Exposure Organisation Limited.

How to find us:

Every Tuesday4:30 - 6:30pm

The Blue Hut49 Provost Street, N1 7NZ

For more details visit our blog:contrastmag.wordpress.com