The culture cognoscenti descended on the first Roundabout last night (25th July), in a Worthing Fringe highlight which saw outstanding music and poetry from the Revolutionary Arts Groop.
The audience, seated cabaret-style in the Barn Theatre, drank the bar dry as they enjoyed performances from poets, musicians and artists from Worthing, Littlehampton and London. The Bamboo Band, Roundabout's resident act, played two sets to both open and end the night, and their second set was to a crowd warmed up to the point of combustion. And the calypso outfit delivered a crowd-pleasing set which filled the dancefloor and had people dancing amongst (if not actually on) the tables.
Another highlight was an acoustic set from Arrowsmith (pictured)
With a giant clockwork-monkey-on-a-bike projected on the walls, courtesy of digital artist Nathan Bean, and a life-size nude self portrait by Tracey Thompson on the stage, contemporary arts clearly had their place alongside the evening's entertainment - and it was obvious that this was no ordinary club.
The three poets only confirmed the idea. Whilst Dan Thompson hosted the night with a few breathless poems thrown in, Steve Carroll performed a set that held the audience with its energy and honesty. One of the wiggy prophets, Steve has his roots firmly in the best tradition of British performance poetry, and even gave us a poem by Adrian Mitchell to prove it.
Artist Gary Goodman, returning to the Revolutionary Art Groop after a two-year break, performed poems like a punk prophet, with a delight in anarchic word-play and edgy delivery.
It was the combination of arts, music and poetry that gave the whole event a beat generation feel. The boho chic decor (provided in part by artist Sheila Guyatt) and Adrian Crick's early performance - a determinedly gritty jazz-blues with a few short poems thrown in - only confirmed the feeling.
It was when Eugenie Arrowsmith led a scratch band in an unrehearsed set that creative sparks started to fly, though. The band - brought together for the evening - confirmed the agenda set by The Bamboo Band's opening set, that good acoustic music is about far more than an encyclopaedic knowledge of old folk standards or classical perfection. Earthy, gutsy and all-woman, Eugenie's first Worthing set established her as a serious artist who could out-perform most on the South coast scene.
It looks like RAG, best known for their contemporary arts and crafts events, have found another string to their bow. Join them when Roundabout returns to the Barn Theatre, Field Place, Worthing on Friday 26th September. For further information, or to book the Roundabout for your venue, email us now or call RAG on 01903 709471.
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