RFUK LEGACY SHOW - NOVEMBER 2017

By Coral Consciouslee

On Sunday 26th November the day of the Legacy show had finally arrived after months of planning and promotion.

Before the doors opened at 6pm, a small queue of people eagerly awaited entry to the Legacy show. RFUK volunteers were in place and ready to greet and check in attendees as they arrived. It was great to see a steady stream of people arriving early to see the start of the show; what was also impressive was the effort people made to look good for the evening.
Everyone seemed to be genuinely excited to be there. The ground floor was set out cabaret style with tables and chairs; the tables had a lovely centre piece decoration of white bottles illuminated by some small lights. The table centrepieces were the brainchild of T’Nia Miller who recruited Michaela Styles to help her. The two foraged things from nature, which they begged, borrowed and stole! With sheer ingenuity and a lot of elbow grease they were able to present something magical.

The comperes of the evening Donna Spence and Curtis Walker, kept the audience alight with laughter and anticipation; this added to the ambience of the venue which was enthralling.

What followed was a captivating evening, with an array of talent who entertained the audience from start to finish. Clapham Grand was on fire with fine reggae music! Each artist sang as if they were appearing at Wembley Arena!  We are sure there wouldn't have been a difference! We must give mention also to Nairobi Thompson, spoken word extra-ordinaire, adding a certain lyrical content to the proceedings. The band – headed by Ivan Christie as MD – was tight and professional, having learned 30 songs in total. True Identity, who are singers in their own right, also learnt the backing vocals for all those songs, giving the artists an extra lift, with a bright and melodic sound. Even now a week later, they are being praised for their harmonies, stamina and professionalism!

One of the highlights of the show was seeing our young adults getting involved and performing Live Reggae. Legacy in truth! However, we cannot write without mentioning the likes of Kofi, Sylvia Tella and Dennis Bovell, who showed why they will always be true legends in every sense of the word.

In keeping with the Legacy theme, we felt it only fitting for Cassandra London (a very current and rising reggae star) to present an award to Janet Kay in celebration of her 40 years in music and for PD Coolie (a DJ who strongly supports UK Reggae – Venture fm) to present to Tony Williams, for his contribution to music.

 
The feedback has been phenomenal and the aim is to have this as an annual event.

These types of events are never without its glitches but we have learnt tremendously about what we will and will not do for the next time around. There are several Reggae shows in London, but the RFUK Legacy show presented something a little different.


Thank you to all that attended, the audience, the band, the backing vocalists, the artists, the volunteers and security.

#BRITISH LEGACY
#Promoting UK Reggae Excellence

Photographs courtesy of Courtney Anglin
Video recording : Olu Kuforiji - Clearview Presentations