Category: [In the eyes of the beer-holder]
(47SOUL @ PRODIGAL JUMP! 93 Feet East. If you look closely you can see me being a massive nerd. Photo credit @natalievhall)
I saw 47SOUL at the beginning and the end of their
marathon five show run at Glastonbury festival; possibly earning them the title
of hardest working band of the weekend and definitely adding credence to the ‘Kanye
is an overrated slacker’ camp. Impressively, the only difference between their
Small Worlds performance on Thursday and their Left Field performance on Sunday
was a slight dip in the level of personal grooming. Any band that can inspire a
tent full of hungover festival goers who wandered in primarily to avoid bright
lights and loud noises on Sunday at Glastonbury are truly a force to be
reckoned with.
The band have had a busy two years since forming in Amman in
2013. They crowdfunded 30k to produce their first album, amassed a large
international following, attracted some serious media attention and along the
way, founded a new genre of music. ‘Shamstep’ is drawn from the musical,
cultural and political diaspora of the Bilad al-Sham region, the area now referred
to as the Middle East. The four musicians are Palestinian, but difficulties
arising from ongoing travel restrictions in occupied Palestine have necessitated
that they live and work in London. 47SOUL refers to the time before the 1948 partition that legitimised the ongoing occupation by Israel of Palestinan land.
The influence of the personal and political struggles they
have faced is inextricably woven into the sound; each member of the band brings
a unique set of musical influences, deftly united by the rhythms and melodies
of Arabic street music. The proto-genre spans an impressive set of beguiling dualities,
successfully pairing tradition with modernity, politics with celebration,
cultural identity with accessible appeal. It is this bridging of divergent
themes and the symbolic transcendence of philosophical and physical boundaries
that give this band its singular appeal.
Messages of peace, unity and community are present at every
level, from the delicate blend of musical influences to the bilingual lyrics
covering everything from the plight of political prisoners to the ever-enduring
and cross-cultural appeal of beautiful women. The music is structurally rooted
in traditional dabke music, allowing for a flexible sound that is playfully
inclusive of elements of dub, hip hop and soul, electronica and dancehall.
Being a massive nerd, I’ve now seen them three
times and on each occasion to crowds that fall towards the tougher end of the
spectrum. Newly arrived festival punters who have yet to exchange their sense
of cool detachment for a coating of sweat, grime and glitter, catastrophically hungover
shade-seekers and that special variety of Brick Lane crowd where the ratio of
fancy-ass cameras to audience is around 1:5 and dancing is strictly ironic. Before the end of the first song, inhibitions and the stubborn British instinct to resist fun at all costs had melted away.
Deeper reasons aside, the main reason 47SOUL are such an
exciting band is very simple; they are fucking delightful. In an environment
dominated by cool, where cultural influences are often worn as self-conscious tokens
of integrity their raw enthusiasm and sincerity are refreshing. Their
performances are framed in the form of an invitation; we’re having fun, come
and join us. Their debut album ‘Shamstep’ is as much about love, sex and
dancing as it is about serious politics and this ambiguity leaves space for
their audience to find their own place within that spectrum.*
The band have mastered the holy grail of conscious music,
the ability to raise awareness without preaching and to promote empathy via participation.
They play music of the people, by the people, for the people.
To quote the show: ‘Are you ready to hear some shepherd
music?!’
Abso-fucking-lutely.
*NB: I do not speak Arabic, so this is an interpretation based on my
experience as an English-speaking listener.
Band Website: http://47soul.com
Soundcloud: https://m.soundcloud.com/47soul
Twitter: @47soulofficial
47SOUL are playing the finale of Shubbak Festival at RichMix on the 25th. Link: https://uk.patronbase.com/_RM/Seats/NumSeats?prod_id=PS70&perf_id=1§ion_id=BAR&seat_type_id=S
(Photo credit @natalievhall. I found a nerd-friend.)
