Pieces of metal scaffolding partially decorated the walls while the old, grand chandelier cast a soft yellow light over the surrounding stone pillars. Despite its temporary ruins, All Saints Church is still a truly beautiful venue to be in. Whispers echoed off the walls while everyone settled in their seats, cueing Tim Fulker’s entrance as he ambled to centre stage with his friendly, welcoming smile.
One might consider it a rarity of any arts event to find an assembly of acts who are of an equally high quality, but this night silenced any such doubts.
One might consider it a rarity of any arts event to find an assembly of acts who are of an equally high quality, but this night silenced any such doubts. Boasting two spoken word acts from Paul Cree and Sophia Thakur alongside three acoustic acts - Luke Roberts, Luke Jackson and Jaz Delorean - each performer had their own unique style and had evidently honed their talents, ensuring a practically flawless set. Roberts opened the evening with his soft,stunning voice, tenderly picking at his guitar - you could have heard a pindrop outside. Awkward blunders, while hard to tell if deliberate or accidental, gave humour to his character and added entertainment to his set. Jackson, also a solo guitarist, had a very different yet equally engaging set. His old school blues style voice was effortlessly powerful, strung with confidence reverberating through the church.
Dotted in between were Cree and Thakur, each with spoken word performances with a youth theme to compliment the International Youth Arts Festival vibe. While Cree used humour and storytelling to capture our hearts and challenge the struggles we face growing up, Thakur took a poetic approach to her own experiences in life as well as a moving piece on a letter she wrote to her future child. Although very different, both were engaging and thought provoking - guaranteeing shivers.
The closing act was the unforgettable, quirky Jaz Delorean. Living up to his name, he appeared on stage in a jazzy blue linen suit, his signature jazzy trilby and his unruly jazzy hair. Songs of travel, playful tunes of running away with the circus and those of lost love, Delorean poured his heart and energy into the baby grand he played, at times becoming so animated he could have taken off. As everyone clapped along enthusiastically to the last song of the evening, you couldn’t help but feel all the more cultured for being at such a rich and rewarding celebation of art.
