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Poet's performance
packs a punch in Provo
OOZING poise, panache and a large helping of rhetoric,
the Illegal Poet brought his trademark wit and satire to
a Providenciales stage on Saturday night.
The homegrown star, aka Grand Turk Islander Audley
Astwood, delighted an intimate audience at Brayton Hall
with a collection of his work.
His unique act, which has already made him a leading
light in his genre overseas, followed on from the
success of previous appearances in Toronto, London, New
York and Atlanta.
It was his first time performing on home turf and he did
not disappoint.
Renowned for his acute social observations which deal
with a variety of topics from racism to domestic
violence, his lyricism is at once poignant and jocular.
His offbeat humour is complemented by deadpan delivery
while vivid imagery and sharp scrutiny of the world
around us combine to create fresh and pioneering art.
Later, a performance by up and coming US songbird Wayna
turned up the heat.
Bursting onto stage with a rendition of Minnie
Ripperton’s classic hit Loving You, her syrupy tones
melted the audience.
Onlookers were invited to test their vocal chords on the
notoriously high notes to much amusement before being
treated to some of Wayna’s own melodies.
She performed a string of songs from her current album
Higher Ground, a fusion of classic soul, progressive R&B
and hip hop.
With a voice as sweet as honey, her emotive inflection
stirred the heartstrings and raised the roof on Brayton
Hall.
But it was a winsome version of Bob Marley’s Redemption
Song that brought the house down earning the former
beauty queen rapturous applause.
The evening culminated in a surprise jam featuring
Wayna, the Illegal Poet and rappers Blakout.
Stage manager and Friends of the Arts vice president,
Sam Hannah, demonstrated his superb musical ability on
the guitar.
Despite the poor turnout, Islanders were thunderous in
their support giving artists a well-deserved standing
ovation.
Also appearing on the night were local artists Spliff,
Cutlass and Prince X.
Audley, who organised the event, told the Weekly News
that while he was delighted with the show’s reception he
was disappointed by its limited attendance.
“It was an excellent show and it was too bad that
neither the local or expat community came out to support
it properly.
“This has been a plight of local artists over the years.
“I personally have now decided to focus my attentions on
the overseas market rather than keep ploughing money
into a market that’s not there.”
Audley revealed that since WIV TV posted a video of the
show on its website, he has already been snapped up by a
US promoter to perform in Atlanta.
“So something good has come out of it. If it goes down
well I will consider doing a US tour.
“I have already spoken to Wayna too about a
collaboration on a number of dates.”
The Illegal Poet is also set to take to the stage in
Canada and the UK later this year.
By Gemma Handy
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