Review: Chineke! Orchestra, St George's

'I want black and minority ethnic musicians to walk on stage and know they belong'

After speaking to Chi-Chi Nwanoku I was more than a little excited to watch Chineke! Orchestra playing music by Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier de Saint George at this special St George's Day concert at St George's. The composer, an illegitimate son of a French plantation owner and his black slave, has been dubbed 'the other Mozart' but failed to receive the same level of fame or recognition in history despite beautiful compositions.

Walking into St George's, I felt my heart rise into my throat - I hadn't expected to feel such a wave of emotion looking around at the most mixed audience I'd seen there ever before, not just in terms of race but also age. There was a real sense of community that I hadn't realised I'd missed in the venue previously.

I felt relaxed sitting alone in a packed hall of people at a classical concert where the worry of feeling out of place or self-conscious may have put me off in the past - this wasn't the case tonight. Watching the musicians take their place on the stage filled me with such pride, the widest involuntary smile spread across my face, a reaction I saw reflected by many around me.

Hearing from Chi-Chi Nwanoku that this performance was the orchestra's first outside of London caused the audience to sigh with pride, erupting into grateful applause. Once quietened enough for her to thank the Arts Council and St George's for welcoming Chineke! Orchestra, she introduced our soloist for the evening, Sheku Kanneh-Mason whose playing was remarkable. At only 17 years old his solo's ached with emotion, it is no surprise he was awarded the accolade of BBC's Young Musician of the Year - he played with the most ferocious passion and skill. We were utterly enthralled by him, so much so that when he bowed to leave, he received not one but three standing ovations and foot stamping such as I'd never experienced at St George's.

The orchestra were flawless from the moment they began. Playing with utter conviction, there was not one musician on the stage who was not entirely connected to the music and one another, led by the most mesmerising conductor I've ever seen. Jonathon Heyward's evocative facial expressions and animated movements were matched only by his energetic and accurate gestures which so clearly guided the orchestra. Enhancing their brilliance, you could see exactly how his movements led each section through the music and the how the musicians trusted him. There was a moment during Mozart's Symphony No. 29 where he held a rest longer than perhaps the orchestra was expecting. There was a moment of tension as they went to play the next note before realising the pregnant pause and then breaking out into smiles as they were welcomed with a flourish. It made the music exciting! A joy to listen to as well as watch. I've attended concerts with orchestras made of musical statues, bar the odd facial twitch, but this was a completely new experience. Watching the way each section moved in unison was like watching music breathe, a complete embodiment of the scores' coherence.

The whole evening was a joy from beginning to end, from the flawless acoustics of St George's to the diverse audience and the impeccable standard of the musicians. It made me fall in love with classical music all over again. Do not miss your chance to see the Chineke! Orchestra when they return to Bristol in November. Tickets sold out incredibly quickly for this show and there's no doubt in my mind that they will again.

Read more about Chineke! Orchestra here.

First published on Bristol 24/7

I interviewed Cypress Hill!!! #FanGirl

Cypress Hill, one of the most versatile and iconic hip hop acts of a generation, are playing at what is arguably one of the most trailblazing music festivals on offer (no I'm not biased...) Boomtown! Having written 8 studio albums and experimenting on each with different sounds, they are a perfect choice for the independent event which prides itself on promoting underground music from around the world, leaving no genre unturned. Originating in California, Cypress Hill have gone platinum on multiple occasions and enjoyed worldwide success as one of the most influential hip hop acts, pushing musical boundaries at each turn. Who else better to embody the innovative spirit but MC Sen Dog who I spoke to about the Cypress journey and upcoming performance at the festival (he said my purple hair was hot, fan girl moment to the maxxxxx)

Cypress Hill have gone platinum countless times and enjoyed worldwide success, what made you want to start making music in the first place?

We were already part of the hip hop breaking scene but when I got into music it was because of Run DMC. I’d heard hip-hop before them but it didn’t really move me like that. When I saw them perform on Soul Train for the first time I was still in high school and was taken back, it completely changed my life.

You’re known for being an incredibly innovative act having collaborated with Damian Marley who played the Lion’s Den last year, you must enjoy experimenting with different genres?

Yeah, there’s always different music you can try to marry! We were definitely fans of rock & roll, metal and reggae with all of us having individual likes at individual levels but that was our first attempt at fusion stuff with metal and rock & roll sounds and some reggae stuff. We’ve done Latino dub with a heavy salsa feel to it so we’re constantly trying to come up with something we’ve never done before to keep ourselves from getting bored.

Considering how different each of your albums are, is there one you’d say is your favourite?

The first album and Skull & Bones remain my two favourite records, personally. The first one because we were just two young guys, didn’t know much about life or the world and the music business...we were still on the streets at that point, knuckle head kids with Mugs constantly trying to make us focus on the band, but we were a bit crazy still. Skull & Bones because that was the first album that we were really like, we’re gonna fuse and experiment. All my favourite artists had at one point so we just tried something completely different to what we’d been doing and came with Rock Super Star! So that was a very proud moment for me.

After taking that first step into the unknown, trying something a bit different, do you think that opened the door to more experimentation in your music and the way that you play?

Yes, it definitely made us more open - after that we were ready to do anything! It really opened me up musically because I wasn’t thinking twice about trying to experiment with other sounds, I was just eager to see what was going to come out of it. When we’re playing live on stage, I prefer Cypress Hill in the traditional hip hop format with MC, DJ and percussionist - that’s the way I like to get down! But every now and then I really like getting in front of a band with guitars and drummers and get as forceful with my voice as I can, as aggressive, because it gives you the avenue to be that way. We’ve done some guest appearances with Smash, Dave Lavaro, Travis Barker, Tom Morillio - all these rock n rollers who want to jam with Cypress and that’s a whole other hierarchy, a whole different echemol. It’s almost like, damn..every time we get to do that I’m just super excited!

You guys are headlining on the Lion’s Den stage, the biggest reggae stage in the UK! Reggae music is really the backbone of Boomtown, is there a particular reggae artist that’s been influential to you?

Well of course, the man, Bob Marley. Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer, those artists were very instrumental in getting me to listen to that style of music and then listening to what they said. Bob Marley’s lyrics were spiritual, the only way you’re not going to be affected by that music is if you don’t have a soul, which is what I love about that brand of music. Whatever environment they grew up in, it made them think ‘what could be better for my spirit and my soul’ and a beautiful thing. It was for humans, opulent, across the board - it wasn’t just a Jamaican thing.

How have you dealt with growing into one of the most iconic figures in hip hop?

Well I guess it’s something I don’t think about in my everyday life but like last week I got pulled over by a policeman because he saw me in traffic and he turned around. I thought I’d done something wrong but he just wanted to get a picture (laughs) so at that point I’m like, that’s what this life is! It’s part of it but it’s mind blowing because we idolised iconic figures. The level to be able to meet those guys at is a special thing - to think we actually became the things we were looking up to, our idols.