Day 2 of the Birmingham Festival 23 was bathed in sunshine – for the best part – as some of the city’s finest performers in their respective arts made sure that they would play their part in what has already been a celebration to never be forgotten. Centenary Square was, again, the ‘beating heart’ of everything musical - right in the heart of the ‘beating heart’ of the nation.
Following the party atmosphere of the opening night, Saturday was, well, a continuation of that atmosphere with headline acts again bulging at the seams as an array of the city’s great musical and lyrical exponents on hand to make sure they were never going to miss out on their hometown’s big extravaganza.
Festival partner, Sampad, was at the centre of the late afternoon action as they brought to the fore just a taste of South Asian’s finest music dance and spoken words, all of which is what makes their city – their Birmingham – the vibrant heart of the UK today, as Sampad Arts & Heritage took centre stage of the day’s proceedings. But all this after an all-female line-up of Dhol drummers provided the musical backdrop for the Eternal Taal dance troupe, who then passed the ‘baton’ onto young poets Adam Hussain and Sana Rashid red a collection from ‘My City My Home’, which are by women and girls in Birmingham, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Other afternoon highlights included the all-female Bhangra group, Vakhr Tohr, before highly renowned Birmingham-born opera singer Abigail Kelly sang a selection of Jamaica-inspired folk songs – with ‘Jamaican Suite’ the one sang from deep in the pit of her heart. And then, it was time from the multi award-winning soprano saxophonist, Sowetto Kinch, whose Asia-infused jazz-fusion set proved a ‘triumph’ for him – and all those before him!
With the likes of Natasha Rose, the Chitralek Dance Academy, Devika Roam and her dancers, Ultimate Bhangra, and another multi award-winner Brummie in Apache Indian then billed to bring his ‘Boom Shack-A-Lak’ back home, to close this second day of 10… WOW!!!
