Young Street Lyricists Rework Calypso and Swing at Hoxton Hall

See and hear 3^rd generation Afro Caribbean young people recount their forefathers’ stories and tales of immigration on the SS Windrush, using modern urban lyrics and mc-ing, with influences from Calypso and Swing music of the 1940’s and 1950’s.

Loaded Lyrics II is a musical journey from the urban rap of Hoxton’s streets to the Calypso and Swing of the Motherland, presented by Hoxton Hall young people. The urban lyric showcase will be loaded with stories and music influenced by black immigration and inspired by the 1948 journey of the SS Windrush, as part of Black History Month and Youth Music Week.

This is the first time Hoxton Hall has brought together an urban hip-hop style of MC-ing with Calypso and Swing music and uses an historical context of the Windrush, arrival and Black immigration in general, to inspire young people to make music. A participant from last year’s Loaded Lyrics praised the project tutor, saying:

“I like your style and personality you made me understand spoken word…through you I’ve learned to express my emotions”. The performance will be created as the finale of a week long workshop programme.

The workshops (prior to the music event) will be inspired by a 1948 radio project we created and presented in August and September, in collaboration with the Shoreditch Trust, Sound artist Nora Wendel and the BBC. From this project a soundscape will be made which will form the stimulus and stories from the community to influence the singing, song writing and music making, culminating in a performance event.

Performance: 30^th October 2008 at 7pm

Tickets: £1 concession / £4

Where: Hoxton Hall

Bookings: 020 7684 0060

If you are a young person aged between 11–17 and would like more information about the Loaded Lyrics workshops please contact Rachel Dring on 020 7684 0060

09.10.2008