Way out West (incorporating Way up North)

from hair to eternity

Well, what can I say, as a follicly challenged caucasian former-blond I was definitely in the minority on this gig. Although, having worked in theatre in the East End for a number of years it is hard not to be aware of the Afro-carribbean obsession with hair care and elaborate coiffure.

This show was that obsession taken about as far as it can go, there were competitions for beading, braiding, plaiting and anything else you could imagine you could do with hair. Not only that, but there were about 5000 people watching the proceedings. Unlike so many of these events, it actually started early, and after eleven hours was only running fifteen minutes over time, and most of that quarter hour was because the event organiser was trying to persuade her mother to come up on stage and be thanked (presumably for having her, as she had no other involvement).

It was all conducted in an atmosphere of great good humour, even the models were friendly and relatively unstressed. This was an outing for the black fashionistas, and for the prosperous middle class, much was made of 'roots' (not hair, for once) and the african diaspora. There was plenty of affirmation and casual praising, all in all it was clear that this was a social group at ease with itself and sure of its identity.

There were sisters and brothers from all over; the US, Netherlands and France were particularly well represented. Indeed, Holland gave us the appropriately named Eternity percussion band, who opened and closed the show. Think of 'Stomp' with dreadlocks and you're heading in the right direction.

Some time ago I attended the memorial celebration for a former Irish Guards piper unknown to me (try not to imagine being in a scout hut with 12 pipers giving it their best shot), and on the bill there was a fife and drum band of considerable antiquity, although little skill. They played each number with great speed and directness, any harmony was accidental and favouring the atonal, rhythmically they favoured the direct route also. I thought they were fantastic, the Portsmouth Sinfonia of marching bands, producing a sound so horrible that it tipped right over the edge into the sublimely painful.

Now the Eternity band were really quite good (although extremely well named), but their actual material was not complicated, and they used that old standby; showmanship to overcome the deficiencies in their presentation, if I were going to be bitchy, which I might as well, I'd describe it as 'Africa Lite', loud, joyous and affirming it was (and probably full of synergy, another buzzword from the day), but in a curious sort of way I felt it was rather retrograde. There are plenty of brilliant african drummers out there after all.

As a final thought, the really striking absence from the proceedings was weed, a gathering of 5000 people from all the african nations, and I didn't get a whiff of it anywhere. Especially as the previous show in the Old Trumans brewery had been devoted to hemp, hemp products and paraphenalia, and some thoughtful soul had stencilled canabis leaves all over the carpets.

posted by Lampy @ 11/14/2005 12:13:00 pm