What started as a typical artsy student sit-in, laden with anarchy and questionable talent, morphed into a showcase of raw emotion and immense depth. This was The Scribe’s first GIAG of the semester at LS6, The Clock Café in Hyde Park. The show kicked off in a cosy upstairs room with Joe Nodus, an esteemed and much-loved local poet, who read a short selection of his works. They were short but sweet. What followed was slightly more dubious; some kind of vetting process would have been more suitable, in order to discern the genuine from the frivolous.

Thankfully, the show maintained an admirable calibre. Young poets Lucy Cunningham and Clara Nascimento-Pillitz, amongst others, read some touching verse on matters of love and relationships, laced with vivid imagery concerning memories and the natural world. Compared to the poignant odes of Cunningham, Nascimento-Pillitz’s verse was more prosaic in its sounding, reading in some ways as though it were an inner monologue, making it all the more relatable.

‘The Scribe is off to an impressive start this year and anyone is free to get up and perform at their events, held twice each semester.’

Other poets and musicians included Emma Ward, Taiwo Ogunyinka and Kasambala. Kasambala’s impassioned verse on the tensions experienced by black people in society was particularly moving, provoking thoughts on current issues across the Atlantic. The audience was in awe of them all, showing us all how it‘s done.

To top it all off, Mr OutSpoken, a local hip hop artist, closed with three of his songs. Needless to say, all attending clapped up a beat for him.

The Scribe is off to an impressive start this year and anyone is free to get up and perform at their events, held twice each semester. Make sure you’re in on it.

George Jackson

(Image courtesy of The Scribe facebook)