BREAKIN’ THE BAY | LIVE REVIEW
Festival Of Voice, Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff, Wed 15 June
Festival Of Voice has been a multi-venue extravaganza celebrating the power of the voice through the arts. Breakin’ The Bay, a prestigious hip-hop event in the capital, took over the stages of Clwb Ifor Bach showcasing acts from Wales and beyond.
Downstairs hosted artists where emotion was prevalent in their performances, notably the soulful delight that is Asha Jane. Her charismatic presence was a warming interlude to pieces that oozed power underpinned with delicate piano. She exudes fierce emotion with a modesty where she doesn’t realise her impeccable songwriting ability with Oyster and Lovely Bones.
Next was Levi, a solo guitarist with a loop pedal, whose blend of 70s American blues and scratch-start Jamaican influences saw the crowd engage with his laidback style. Having been selected in the Horizions 2018 programme, singer Eaydith is also certainly one to watch. If there’s anything to say about this event, it’s that versatility came in abundance, and Eadyth obliged with instrumentals of liquid drum’n’bass blended with r’n’b.
Navigating the lineup over two floors had you emotional to the verge of tears one second, the next marching upstairs fiercely bopping to hip-hop. Cardiff’s DJ Jaffa took to warming upstairs, where the atmosphere was lacking slightly until the main act. Manchester trio Free Wize Men started to build momentum with trap pieces and brilliant presence.
UK hip-hop is largely, if not completely, dominated by High Focus Records, whose Four Owls collective consists of Verb T, Fliptrix, BVA and Leafdog. As the previously sparse crowd filled within minutes, the group, sporting their masks, took over proceedings with complete domination.
The energy of the Owls mixed with the sheer excitement of the audience proved that the hip-hop scene in Cardiff is rife. As fresh material from the forthcoming album was delivered with the same grit as crowd favourites Think Twice and Assassination, the quartet prove that they are no strangers to pushing boundaries. With focus on Verb T and Fliptrix, their succinct attention to narratives whilst being able to veer off with impressive showmanship propelled the entire set forward.
Leaving the venue, I wasn’t too sure how to process the night – almost akin to that post-festival confusion. This speaks well of the event, though: Breakin’ The Bay endeavour to break the rules with their events, and tonight was an eclectic showcase which did just that.
words FFION RIORDAN-JONES photos YUSEF RUSTEM
