A recent graduate of the BRIT School for Performing Arts and winner of Croydon’s Best Unsigned Music Act 2009 De’borah is set for great things. With nods towards Joni Mitchell, The Police and John Mayer, De’Borah’s songs are filled with sincerity, warmth and a vulnerability that allows her to remarkably inspire and engage with an audience.
http://www.myspace.com/deborahsdelight

Journeys. Mercy is uniquely qualified to take you on an artistic one, her day to day life imbued with sojourns that in 2010 have taken her to Canada, Singapore and Northern Ireland.   Having worked for London’s transport authorities for several years, toured internationally  with gospel troupes, laid vocals for everyone from underground alternative artist [verb]swish to global soulful funky house imprint, Dance4Daddy, Mercy is still on the move.

Recently graduating from Goldsmith University (Popular Music), Mercy is forging a new path as an artist and producer in her own right.  Keen to arrive at her own musical destinations via quirk filled adventures that extend from her time at  the university’s experimental collective.

Half Ghanaian, half Welsh singer-songwriter Juliyaa (yaa meaning Thursday born) was born and raised in North London to a Ghanaian mother and a Welsh father, Juliyaa grew up on hymns of praise, listening to traditional Ghanaian twi, hi-life and hip-life music, as well as her father’s legendary vinyl collection – from Bob Marley, Al Green to Helen Baylor and Ron Kenoly. Inspired by two volunteer trips to Ghana and Kenya, Juliyaa’s song writing grapples not only with social issues, and relationships, but gives a twist to the way in which we usually view the world. Trespassing pop music to create something lasting and real, her sultry vocals have been showcased at the Roundhouse Camden, Love Music Hate Racism Sheffield, Troy bar, Universities around London, and at the Southbank Centre.

www.myspace.com/juliyaamusic

Sh’maya is a London based poet, storyteller and musician. His stage brings a unique creativity to spoken word with looped soundscapes bedrocking rhythmical wordplay and spit-fire passion.

Buy tickets now

The left hand side represents the present. The right, the strong promise of the future.  So whilst I’m focusing on making some things strong (writing, recording, performing, learning,  trimming Bert [my Bonsai]), the things I’d like to do now get clattered (blog, watch TV, go the the gym, socialise). Apparently, I think it’ll be worth it.

The cowboy in the cave is me on the weekend;)

Image by birdboykristian

It did get me thinking though:  the reasons for watching Luther are, of course, Mr Elba, (eyecandy for the ladies, executor of justice for the fellas) and… hmm… no… there’s not much else that can go in that column unless you count all of the above (flame-hair, postman pat,  the prince, Zoe, the wannabe-cockney guvnor) who somehow manage to weave an oddly compelling, if incredulous, back drop to the ‘gritty’ drama AND appear in the ‘against’ column as reasons for NOT watching, along with the heinous crimes themselves.   Balance the equation, the cast cancels itself out on both sides and Elba shines through in a reception reminiscent of Denzel’s Training Day–according to the tweets I’ve seen in my feed at least.  Strange how we will overlook gratuitous violence from the unhinged, if there is beauty involved, or,  as Luther puts, it ‘love in the world’.

I’ve not published an update since September ‘09. I know, terrible.

So, what’s been happening since then?

• I’ve moved out of the urbane surroundings I wrote and recorded my, as yet unreleased, album in
• moved out to relative surburbia,
• quit my day job teaching some great kids
• switched from PC to Mac (well almost) typing this on a sponsored laptop.
• Caught and recovered from Pneumonia, thank God
• Built a new website

Needless to say, it’s been a context-expanding season.  At no point in my life have I’ve ever said goodbye and hello to so many people at once. Handshakes and waves, hugs and shrugs.

A lot will be different, but a lot will be the same.

They’ll be fewer monthly newsletters (no more ‘well i’ll be’), so how do we stay in touch?!!

Well, there’s a few ways:

• I’ll be posting on here at least twice a week, so you can  1) subscribe via RSS  OR 2) get an email sent to you of what I post on here
• Email: verbswish at gmail dot com
• Twitter: @verbswish
• Go wild and become a friend or ‘liker’, on Facebook

2010 marks the 5^th year of my journeying and experimenting through the album making process—and I feel as though that it’s only now that I’m learning to avoid projections, embrace protractions and somehow find the poetry in it all.

In terms of gigs, something had to give, and it was them.  Was being the operative word, cause I’m planning to hit the circuit again this summer and autumn, God willing–and I think He does…

Further deets about where I’ve been later.

For now just wanted to big up  The Myrrh Sea for all her support whilst I was laying the digital brick for this ‘ere blog.

The Myrrh Sea (gosh I love writing that) will be making an appearance with full band at Pure Gold on Friday 28th May at the Albany, Deptford. Swing down.   She’s gonna rock the joint! Get tickets