Soweto Gospel Choir
The Cornucopia, Gluttony
Tired of all the negative news of the present day? In need of a rapid way of melting the ice-cold heart you’ve developed to fortify yourself against all these tales of woe? I recommend taking one Grammy Award Winning Soweto Gospel Choir and applying it to your ears liberally this Fringe Season, to experience immediate warmth and uplift your soul.
Emerging from the darkness in a whirl of colour and sound with vibrant drumming to accompany, the choir sings, dances and stomps its way through their set. From classic African gospel tunes, to a remixed version of James Brown’s classic I Feel Good, each of the cast members takes their turn at centre stage to shine. It’s pretty rare to find an ensemble where each and every member also features as a solo artist – plus the dancing! It was more of a party on stage for the cast than a performance for the audience. Singing in both English a local Soweto dialect (there’s several, so I don’t wish to presume whether it’s one or several they seamlessly shift between), it’s impossible to sit passively in your chair , and there was plenty of clapping, foot stomping and dancing in the aisles to track after track. If you’ve never experienced Leonard Cohen’s (but made famous by Jeff Buckley) Hallelujiah live, THIS is the time to do it. It’s absolutely rapturous and I don’t think there’s a better way to experience it than coming from a group that sing with so much heart and fire. Of all the songs to end on, this is one that’s universally touching and beloved.
A raucous party that we are fortunate enough to be invited to attend, do not miss the Soweto Gospel Choir. A perfect warm-up to the WOMAD weekend!
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