Reviews Bido Lito! June 2015
43
who leave delirious and knackered, hoping
that there’ll be another five years of Abandon
Silence nights like these.
Phil Gwyn / @notmanyexperts
HAZEL MAK
The Soul Rays – Brave Mnyay – Street Rat
AmityMalawi Fundraiser @ Constellations
AmityMalawi was founded by Geoff Skelhorn
and Malawian-born Anna Cooke in order to
support communities in Malawi through
grassroots projects, utilising traditional craft
skills. Tonight’s entertainment has been
organised in response to January’s floods which
devastated much of this already desperately
poor country.
The walls of the Observatory are adorned
with Malawian flags and chitengi, the
beautifully printed traditional wrap worn by
Malawian women and modelled tonight, with
the addition only of a little body paint, by two
lithe and beautiful dancers. Traditional craftware
is for sale, and a healthy number of people are
in attendance early on as DJ Gwynz sets the
scene with some vibrant Afrobeat and highlife.
Rayface enhances the mood, delicately applying
face paint to performers and audience alike, and
Geoff introduces the first act of the evening.
STREET RAT, a huge star and bandleader in
Malawi, has recently launched himself as a
Hazel Mak (Glyn Akroyd)
UK-based solo artist. He sits, arms cradling an
acoustic guitar, and begins to pick at the strings,
singing low and pure, as he quickly builds
up an insistent, joyful rhythm. The crowd are
immediately engaged and songs such as Rain
In The Clouds and Keta invoke the vibrancy
and hardship of Malawian streetlife. With brief
but heartfelt monologues between songs, a
balance between the joyful abandon of song
and dance and the serious purpose underlying
the event is struck. Street Rat underlines his
versatility, finishing his set with a dynamically