Now here is something different, an event to celebrate the birthday of a lighthouse. Not just any lighthouse, but the Eddystone in Plymouth, which celebrated its 265th Anniversary on 16th October, 2024 when this concert was staged. The structure was built by Leeds lad John Smeaton, who was born, and died, in Austhorpe. He was known as the Father of Civil Engineering, in fact it was he who invented the term to distinguish civil from military engineers. His other achievements are too numerous to mention, mainly in canal construction and bridge building – very appropriate. All his enterprises were based on his ethos to work for the public good. His legacy lives on, an example being that he devised a form of concrete which would set under water leading to its use in buildings, especially bridges. The only reason that the lighthouse closed in 1877 was because the rock beneath began to erode. It was moved to Plymouth Hoe where it remains as Smeaton’s Tower. His ultimate claim to fame, though, is that he is given a name check in I Predict A Riot by the Kaiser Chiefs.
The venue was ChapelFM Arts Centre at Seacroft, only a concrete block’s throw from Mr Smeaton’s birthplace. They are celebrating their 10th Birthday this year, a bit further to go before they match his endeavour’s longevity.
John Smeaton’s modus operandi was based on collaborative working, an ethos which today’s concert carried on. The musicians, technicians, writers, poets and performers involved were all from disparate backgrounds and most had not worked together before, but, after seven solid days of rehearsals they came together as one.
Keranjeet Kaur Virdee MBE. CEO and Artistic Director of South Asian Arts
The idea came from Jane Earnshaw and Abby Dix-Mason, aka Foxglove, who have been creating, commissioning and producing arts projects for over twenty years. Seven years ago they approached Keranjeet Kaur Virdee MBE, with the proposition that, along with South Asian Arts, they build a lighthouse in the middle of Leeds as part of the European City of Culture celebrations. This didn’t come to pass as Leeds’ bid was disqualified due to Brexit. The idea took root and Ms Virdee began to wonder whether the language of lighthouses could be turned into music. From this root, the full grown plant, obviously a foxglove, has burst into bloom.
Left to right: Temiloluwa Abiodun-Ade, Kenny Higgins, Deepa Shakthi, Mohinder Singh, Thandanani Gumede, Rubina Warsi, Phenicia Williams, Rafael Onyett, Olivia Cuttill and Christella Litras.
The concert takes us on an imaginary journey from Leeds to India by sea, beginning with a contemplation on stars, the only means of navigation in those days. We were treated to spoken pieces by Phoenicia Williams (Phyn) and Rubina Warsi backed by Mohinder Singh (Mendi) on percussion and a recording of urban sounds, again by Phyn. Other members of the ensemble join in and the section is brought to a close by Olivia Cuttill on trumpet.
Section 2 was titled England, with Michelle Scally Clarke speaking an amusing piece reflecting on Smeaton and the Yorkshire mentality. The scene shifted slowly to Spain with the guitar of Rafael Onyett taking up the story and segueing into another piece spoken by Michelle, ‘Power, Pepper, People, Light, Trade, Dark, Shade, Light’ illustrating the phases of the lighthouse and the commodities able to be shipped safely by its light. Deepa Shakthi took up the song ‘Light’ from the full company and it ended with just her and Rafael.
The next stop was Africa with chants from Christella Litras, who was also the composer, music director, arranger and keyboard player. She went on to sing ‘Churches of Faith’ which was followed by another poem recited by Michelle. Thandanani Gumede (Thanda) performed a Yoruba chant with an improvisation by the musicians. There was an amazing call and response part between Thanda and Mendi on tabla. The place was rocking, and continued to do so after Mendi took over for a solo.
To deviate for a moment. I was at another South Asian Arts event a couple of days later and was told that the evening concert had been recorded and posted on YouTube so I had another look. There had been some changes from the afternoon performance and the aforementioned Churches of Faith was sung as a duet between Christella Litras and Thanda. If you can’t commit to the full hour I really urge you to watch for a few minutes from 30.00 in. If you want to see a performance you will never forget, a moment that can never be recreated which only live theatre can provide this is it, soul music in its truest form – just have some tissues handy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cHNPSoqL0w&t=100s
I don’t know if any of you are old enough to remember a South African singer called Miriam Makeba, who was big for a short time in the early 1960s, but she performed a style of singing which involved making a clicking sound at the same time as delivering the vocals. Well, it turned out that Thanda is an accomplished exponent of this art and incorporated it in a couple of his songs. Amazing. To give you a taste please go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjo8h5qLpU0 to see Ms Makeba baffle the audience.
We then arrive in India where the whole group contribute in their own way fusing the eastern and western instruments in a selection of chants and a classical dance song performed by Mendi, Deepa and Raf. Two instrumentalists I have not mentioned yet were Temiloluwa Abiodun-Ade (Temmykeys) who played keyboards, bass guitar and percussion, and another bass player Kenny Higgins, who had stepped in at one day’s notice, and melded in beautifully. They gave the whole event depth and rhythm. The visit to the sub-continent ended with an improvisation from Deepa and a fade out from Phyn.
The finale began with a rhythm on tabla and Remi introducing the final song ‘Who Am I?’ sung in turn by Christella, Thanda and Phyn. A Deepa solo saw the song reprised with solos by Olivia and Christella.
The technicians were Jack Walker, lighting technician and Mushana Aniysa Alleyne, projectionist., who also provided vocal support from her desk at the rear of the hall.
The whole afternoon, I went to the first show of two on the day, was both moving and uplifting, the bus journey home seeming far shorter than the one there.
It is hoped that the production will be able to do a tour in the future but it would be a nightmare to plan, with so many independent musicians. We can but hope. If it does come about I am sure they will need to take their own advice and Travel Light.
For more information about what South Asian Arts have in store, please go to https://www.saa-uk.org/
To read more about Foxglove see https://www.wearefoxglove.co.uk/
Events at ChapelFM Arts Centre can be found at https://www.chapelfm.co.uk/
Photographs by Stan Graham
Tyke It To The Limit 