ART'ical Explosion grows

Growth is most times expected when a series or an event is staged over a number of years; sometimes it does not occur.

For ART'ical Explosion, growth is definitely evident. The series, which is in its second year, has grown by several indicators. Some of these, crowd size and entertainment value, were evident on October 1 as it held its final instalment in this year's run.

The series, which marries different disciplines of art, showcased singers and dub poets in the last outing.

Twelve performers graced the stage at Heather's Garden Restaurant on Haining Road in New Kingston, giving the moderately sized crowd a platter of themes which included love, politics, human rights and the economy.

Floyd West was the first to grace the stage, and the dreadlocked individual's set laid out his quest for truth and social equality.

In 'Iya Search' he tells the audience that he is "searching for the inner one, the inner strong to take on Babylon" while others are "searching for AK". He speaks about the conditions of the underclass and the struggles they face where "the basic commodities are never cheap".

The theme of social justice, or the lack of it, was littered throughout the night's performances. Randy McLaren, who styles himself as the creative activist, used his time onstage to connect the audience to his material and what inspired them. Sometimes it was a dark place.

In a piece about the fire at the Armadale Juvenile Correctional Facility in St Ann, which claimed the lives of seven Jamaican girls, McLaren used the old time spiritual of 'Wade in the Water' substituting it with 'Burn in the Fire' to chilling effect.

McLaren's words pierced at the audience, reminding them that it was "1 room, 23 girls, 14 mattress, 7 bunkers and 1 grenade", and that the future of the girls was 'cremated'.

Dub poetry trio, LSX, stepped out with their unique dancehall poetry over hip hop rhythms. During their set, they invited to the stage Californian poet, Miss Quote, who thrilled the crowd with a lengthy piece about "diamonds and rocks". LSX then delivered their poem titled 'Miss Hothead' to much fanfare.

DeFranco brought out the lover's rock and amazed patrons with his voice, said to be reminiscent of various reggae greats. He sang many songs for the ladies and captivated his entire audience with his performance.

Pentateuch, a young band of Edna Manley College graduates, put on a great show for the crowd, winning them rounds of applause. Their songs Karma and Black Face, especially, left the event goers in a frenzy.

Another youngster took to the stage after Pentateuch. Chronixx, only 19 years old, is a producer and artiste who has already worked with rising reggae sensations such as Protoje. He put the crowd on a high with his powerful voice and unique melodies. He also invited Kabaka Pyramid, for whom he has produced, onstage to perform his song Warrior and Micah Shemiah to perform Africa.

Former Rising Stars winner, Nickiesha Barnes, was the next incredible voice to be heard at ART'ical Exposure. She sang many of her singles, including In Love, Sweetest Mistake and So Much in Love.

The headliner for the night, Chevaughn, congratulated the show's performers before closing the night in appropriate fashion. He introduced to the stage poet Abbebe Payne, who gave an intense performance. Chevaughn continued with a wide range of songs from his solo material to the catalogue of his band, C-Sharp, to his features such as Ding Dong's hit song, Holiday, on which he sings the chorus. Craig from Voicemail then joined him onstage to showcase some new dance moves.

The crowd thoroughly enjoyed his set and were able to get copies of his mixtape, This is Me: I Am Chevaughn, after the show.