I first saw Kate Tempest as part of a poetry showcase at a pub in Camden about five or six years ago - she was easily the most impressive of all the performers that day and I told her so at the end of the gig, I was that struck by the power and delivery from this slight frame.
When I saw she'd been nominated for the Mercury Prize, I was amazed and delighted that she'd been recognised, all these years later.
So when a friend suggested we go and see her at Brixton, I was easily sold. And how pleased I was with that decision.
Backed by a five piece band, that same slight figure had been transformed into one of the most powerful and insightful wordsmiths I've ever been in the presence of.
It was an incandescent, coruscating experience to be confronted and challenged, collectively and individually for our baser material and technological addictions and to start asking serious questions about the direction our society is headed in, couched in the clearly spat tones of the poet/hip-hop delivery.
The topics were diverse, but sharing a common theme - empathy, a rejection of greed and a commitment to individuals coming together to coalesce into something more meaningful and sustainable.
The bravery was immense and nowhere more evident in the last poem, a coda tribute to those serving in our armed forces, delivered with incredible passion, solus on a darkened stage.
A mesmerising, spellbinding experience.
Jack Johnson
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