Senior Producer-CNC3
soyini.grey@guardian.co.tt
The finale of the Trinbagonian musical group’s Tight Spaces tour on the Labour Day holiday was proof positive of their strong aesthetic and tonal character.
Sound Forge was transformed through Nadia Shah’s set design into a cosy space where the audience, who ranged in age from toddler to well-seasoned adult, could engage with the performance in a casual setting that is in no way a synonym for an amateur, unpolished presentation.
Despite audio issues that were evident to lead singer Muhammad Muwakil, the show was a warm comforting hug that left the audience satisfied. The Labour Day performance showed a band that is very secure in their sound and how they want to present themselves to the world.
Last night, the band would have performed at the legendary Glastonbury music festival in the UK that featured an extensive and eclectic mix of performers including Coldplay, Disclosure, SZA and Nitin Sawhney. They were scheduled to hit the stage at 11 pm. There would be little time for them to soak it in, because they would have had to leave Somerset for Brixton as tonight they will be on stage at The Blues Kitchen as part of the Just Vibes Windrush Celebration.
The concert is part of the UK’s celebration of their Caribbean community, most of whom trace their roots to the post-World War II migration from the region to help the post-war reconstruction. The term “Windrush” refers to the ship that carried the first immigrants to London; it is the same ship that was photographed behind Lord Kitchener in vintage Pathe newsreels when he was serenading reporters with his new calypso, London Is The Place For Me.
This will be a full band presentation for Freetown Collective, made up of Muhammed, Lou, supporting vocalists from the Trinity: Shanna Joseph, Tishanna Williams, and Malene Joseph, bassist/DJ Jayron “Rawkus” Remy, percussionist Sheena Richardson, and keyboardist Odelle Daniel.
As early proponents of the “new calypso” sound, the band has carved out a space for heartfelt storytelling in a resolutely Caribbean way. From the name that is rooted in T&T history, their output is replete with references within their music and visuals that are coded to a West Indian audience.
Much like how hip hop was created by African Americans for African Americans, yet has a global reach, Freetown has a similar approach to their music.
In the words of Lou Lyons, their work is anchored in authenticity which is their superpower. Lyons commented on the band’s tonal quality and ability to seamlessly combine Trinity’s classically trained vocals with the lead singer’s emotive tones, saying, “We are not here to present a fictional piece of work that requires perfection of technique.”
What they do is tap into their genuine emotions and situations to create their art. In that vein, the final show of their Tight Spaces tour was held hours after friend to the band, Marlon DeBique, died following a short illness.
Within the show they sung Olatunji Yearwood’s lyrics “If you heading up to the mountains, I will be there. You jumping up to the cloud, hand up in the air,” transforming the 2016 soca One Life To Live from a party song into a more fitting tribute to a man “no one knew was preparing to fly,” than the traditional calypso Memories, as sung by The Mighty Sparrow.
This kind of care matters, particularly, when one is eulogising a cultural force who not only served in administration as the CEO of the Naparima Bowl, but was also a creative with a history of award-winning performances under his belt.
The band has also changed their approach to choosing songs for their shows. Previously, they were adamantly against covers and would even turn down requests from fans. Instead, they decided to take their time and create a repertoire of original songs that would serve them well in a performance, much like how others would use well-known songs to change the mood of the crowd.
The song choice is also a departure for the band that used to be vehemently against covers, denying even fans’ requests, opting to play the long game to develop a set of their own work that could do for them in a show what others borrow more established songs to do when the vibe of the audience needs to change.
But now that the band has, in the words of Muwakil, “fed their core,” they can use their own music to take their audience along a musical journey.
That means today’s Freetown audience shouldn’t be surprised to hear the band’s rendition on songs from Buju Banton and Sizzla Kalonji, “because we grow up on this music too!” The inclusion of covers isn’t overly thought out either. Typically, while in rehearsal they might hear something that just sounds good and that’s why it’s included in the set.
This is a band whose second album “Beyond the Machine” will be released soon. It will be a collection of songs guided by the dictate “Tell the truth”.
Freetown has demonstrated a commitment to giving what they have authentically and without apology.
And by all accounts, their eclectic repertoire and growing fanbase is happy to receive Freetown’s truth.
