A Mighty Roar
On Thursday 10 October Hastings SHE Choir staged its first solo gig: Thunder, Lightning and Dirt, at the White Rock Theatre. FIONA MCGARRY went along to experience the power of the storm.
SHE Choir describes itself as “A collaborative, un-auditioned, community choir for women, non-binary & gender queer folks”. It is currently part of a network of SHE choirs (SHE stands for the initials of founder members Susie, Hannah and Ellie of the original choir in Manchester) but is planning to break out and change its name shortly.
My curiosity was piqued when I arrived at the White Rock Theatre studio and read the sign warning that ‘Tonight’s performance includes haze, fast flashing lights and pyros’. I was suddenly uncertain about listening to a choir for two hours, envisioning aggressive songs like Ozzy Osbourne’s Lightning Strikes or Motorhead’s Thunder and Lightning.
So, it was a relief when the choir appeared, buoyant and smiling in silver, black and even gold sequined outfits and sang an uplifting but melodic acappella number: I know a place [where everyone’s gonna lay down their weapon]. This set the scene for an evening of original arrangements of rock, pop indie, folk and even blues – with some trailblazing protest songs. The only discordant note was a squeal from the sound system during the first number.
The evening was unexpectedly moving: you could sense the atmosphere grow more electric as the choir became more confident, negotiating songs like Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield, through Regina Spektor’s Lady, to Shooting Stars by Rival Sons. There was a palpable sense of community and camaraderie amongst the choir and the audience: it was fascinating to hear the different styles and feel the contrasting energies as different members took turns to lead the choir and to explain the songs.
Some of the most haunting moments involved polished solo performances showcasing the talents of Tyger Mylk, Eleanor Westbrook, Charlie Austen, Carol Prior, Megan Leigh Mason and more – plus poetry from Yellow and Green, who captivated the audience with an impassioned plea to save the earth. At the end of the concert, a more punk tempo was introduced with the band Wave Machine singing Tonic.
Themes of love, tolerance and respect for our world and all the people in it, ran through the evening. Donna Canale sang a haunting lullaby for her children and grandchildren: Waltz for the Girls, and Charlie Austen gave us Saved – a song addressing homophobic hatred encountered at Pride marches.
But the song that resonated most with me in our current troubled times was Resilient, originally by Rising Appalachia. It gave the event its title and, according to the choir, is about “the resilient power of community to ‘negate the chaos’, as well as our rooted connection to nature and the world around us”.
‘I’m made of thunder
I’m made of lightning
I’m made of dirt …
My voice feels tiny and I’m sure so does yours
But put us all together and we make a mighty roar’
Mighty – but also melodious.
We hope you have enjoyed reading this article. The future of our volunteer led, non-profit publication would be far more secure with the aid of a small donation. You can also support local journalism by becoming a friend of HIP. It only takes a minute and we would be very grateful.
Leave a Reply