From the moment he stepped on stage, Renell Shaw had an energy and presence that captivated! Outstanding, gifted but without pomp and glory. He placed a trumpet on the podium in front of him and explained that it belonged to his uncle, who could not be with us this evening. This sets the scene for The Windrush Suite, a celebration of his grandparents and those before us, who bravely travelled from the Caribbean to Britain without truly knowing what they would be stepping into.
The musicians on stage are a reflection of the music we are about to hear, from the young and eerily beautiful cello playing (Ayanna Witter-Johnson) to the dynamic and experienced sax playing (Jean Toussaint), all under the umbrella of Renell Shaw’s vision. The music is interspersed with a black and white photographic backdrop of his grandparents’ generation – photos which capture hard work, grief, strength and resilience as well as love, community and humour.
Shaw‘s contemporary composition effectively pulls authentic voices from the Windrush era, modern short spurts of Spoken Word, and the powerful, atmospheric photographic testimony connected to the marching drum beat (Romarna Campbell) of his opening piece, The Vision They Had. Each piece thereafter seems to surprise us with its pace, mood and sound.
The slow piano original work (Zoe Alexandria), the incredible vocals of Afronaut Zu blended with his percussion playing, the raw and exciting Nandi and the unbelievable vocal instrument of Rochelle Rose lead us through the winding spiral of Bacchanal, Out Of Many (will come one) and Purgatory. Shaw comments on the cycle and compares Martin Luther King and Paul Stephenson to present-day activists.
Echo in the Bones is a comment on his parents’ generation, those born in Britain. This half infuses us with a little more fire, the orange flame instead of the blue. And the music now overtakes the photographic imagery. Although the powerful images from The Windrush Suite don’t quite match here, it might be worth considering removing or replacing what our visual stimulation ought to be.
The resistance is heard in the tone of the pieces; Too Loud Too Proud with a resounding message of speak up, sit down. Freedom?, with a vocal complexity sung by Rose which transports and leads us to I Must Know Who I am” is an incredible mix reaching operatic heights, the marimba played by the multi-award-winning and Shaw’s mentor, Orphy Robinson MBE conjures up the waves themselves from the sea which brought the Windrush to Britain.
The wind instruments in Echo of a Requiem (Nathaniel Cross, Mark Crown, Toussaint) pelts sounds of anguish and remind us that we cannot end but only be transformed. He ends with Mad Ting, which honours the rhythm of Ska, and again, we realise that we can have no firm expectations from Shaw. The wild instrument sounds, the soulful sisters’ vocals, the guitar (Charlie Laffer) the bass (Mutale Chashi) , bring together an exceptional ensemble of musicians led by Shaw to execute an evening of history and present day of his personal journey, to whom you see before you.
NEED TO KNOW: Renell Shaw’s The Windrush Suite and Echo in the Bones performed at Kings Place on 25 June 2026 for one night only. His next show takes place on Fri 9 Oct as part of his Kings Place residency – Renell Shaw: Remember Us Tomorrow. Find out more.
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