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Raecreative – a music, film, performance and visual arts event. Vivaz Nightclub, Scarborough, 31st August
With goody bags greeting the early entrants, there is a nice early buzz. The evening begins with an acoustic set from Ross Dransfield. Playing a lot of original material, there are bittersweet tones merged with more uptempo and anguished riffs. The guitar playing is intricately skilful, the vocals soulful, emotive, especially on track ‘My Friend’ as the lyrics take you on a journey many people can relate to and escalate from melancholy quiet to thrashing anger, transitioning eloquently.
Next, all eyes are diverted to a screen set up in the middle seating area of the club, and we are introduced to Cool Beans Production Company. They showcase their video work with a ‘Best Of’ compilation, featuring amongst others ‘Slightly Steve’ who has a miscellany of short sketches on YouTube. My personal favourites from the Cool Beans archive were a short skit on the use of ‘the f*cking apostrophe’ and a Macbeth audition innuendo sketch.
After this, the Rock & Roll Poet himself, Graham Rhodes. Having started out reading poems in folk clubs in the 60’s, it is intriguing to find this rock club venue working well as we briefly get a cabaret feel from the evening. Covering themes such as politics and sex with his repertoire, ‘Party’ is fast and funny with a twist, and an autobiographical piece called ‘Unlucky Sad Bastard’ is also a treat.
Other elements throughout the evening work to create this multi-arts event. Charlotte Hill produces live art, painting a huge canvas as a record of the evening from a spot near the bar, which gives attendees something else to engage with during the night, and DJ for the evening Lisa Rocket plays interesting and eclectic tunes between live set pieces.
Recently reformed local band Our Own start with a track that is a rant against organisations such as the EDL and BNP. They bring heavy bass lines, Ryan York really moving in sync with his bass as he plays, and vocalist James Koppert energetically performing as they change to another of their own songs, this one a play on the sexism and misogyny that often permeates certain styles of music. Sean Slinger from Propax Altmetal arrives on stage as their guest vocalist to perform a cover of Strife’s ‘Will To Die’. ‘Officer 93’ about police brutality features screeching and siren-sound beat-boxing. In a tribute to the nature of the event they are at, they also cover Refused song ‘New Noise’, the lyrics to which incite the need for ‘new art for the real people’. With their songs of injustice, politics and social and personal crisis, Our Own are also a lesson in performance commitment, giving your all and believing in what you do.
The third music performance features an energetic start, as I’ve come to expect from The Hashtag Revolution and their groovy, dance-inducing rock. ‘Parade’ and ‘Live Forever’ sound like standout hits. ‘Overdrive’ shows off great vocal range and guitar work from Chris Wright and Danny Albon respectively. There is also some nice levity in the space between songs, as they describe how they thought they’d come up with this great original riff recently, only to have Paul Murray, Vivaz proprietor, hear it and say it reminded him of something he’d heard from the 70’s. The playing from all members is tight and the chemistry allows them to experiment with different sounds and styles. Ranging between empowering, motivational lifts to dark, sinister modes, they have a definite, distinct edge to their music.
Hopefully there will be more Raecreative events in future, as it is rare to find such a mix of different entertainment under one roof, and between the merchandise available (plectrums, t-shirts, badges, magnets, not forgetting those free goody bags for early arrivals) the key to the event was summed up the day after by one of the participants – “People always say they want something different; well, here it is.”
