This June marks a milestone for Caribbean people who left their homes in search of a dream of betterment when they boarded the HMT Empire Windrush to Britain 75 years ago. Featuring an array of black British talent, the concert and spoken word celebration is a musical history trip that firmly affirms the impact and influence that Caribbean culture has made on the arts and culture scene.
The conclusion is clear from attendees jamming and flashing their phone lights in unison to the beat from the stage. As YolanDa Brown, the saxophonist and broadcaster, said: “This is not the time to be British sitting in your seat”.
Against the current backdrop of the struggle for compensation for being wrongly detained, deported and denied their legal rights, the performances took on a political lens with artists reminiscing about their families’ support in making them who they are. Brown, who hails from Jamaica, delivered a spirited and evocative performance of Bob Marley’s Is it Love? The atmosphere was fire whether it was the magnificent Beverley Knight in a yellow dress representing her Jamaican roots belting out her classic Get up! where the lyrics echo the resilience and struggle of immigrants in a new land, or Loose Ends sultry soul of Hanging on a String brings back the nostalgia of grooving in a club.
Hosted by the charming and humorous Trevor Nelson in the stunning but imposing Royal Albert Hall, this splendid show reinforces how indelibly the playlist is stamped in our DNA. So, in the words of Craig David who gave a shout-out to his Grenadian heritage as black excellence concluded on stage, “re-rewind”: it was bo.
