Steeze

Steeze is a series of events in South East London, created with the admirable aim of bringing people together and creating unity through performance. The events feature poets and musicians predominantly young and based locally, and has been described as somewhere where artists “can truly learn from each other, and there’s no such thing as a mistake”. It’s certainly true that the atmosphere created at Steeze is very welcoming, and the first thing on people’s minds is acceptance rather than scepticism.

The commitment of a few young and entrepreneurial people to create Steeze is commendable, and their latest event was also influenced by some of the people behind Brainchild Festival. Brainchild Festival took place during the summer of this year, and it began as one girl’s brainchild; she saw the festival as an opportunity to create something positive with some money she’d inherited, as the rumour goes. The festival was devised as a “celebration of talent, original thinking and creativity” which claimed to be able to “validate the power of our minds”. http://brainchildfestival.co.uk/manifesto.html

One of the performers at the latest Steeze, a band called Nomad Soul, also performed at Brainchild Festival. I’d never seen or heard of the band before, but as I sat literally a metre away- the intimacy of Steeze is part of its attraction- and they began playing their song ‘Murmuration’, I was blown away by the level of energy and technical skill. Their infusion of jazz and electronic ambient music is mesmeric. Although it is reminiscent of other contemporary music in a similar style, Nomad Soul seemingly reached new heights with this outstanding performance. http://soundcloud.com/nomad-soul-collective/murmuration

It is important to mention the band Southpaw in relation to Steeze- because the organisers of the event also perform together in this 7-piece hip-hop, jazz outfit. Southpaw’s EP, entitled Out Of Oak can be found here- http://sthpw.bandcamp.com/album/out-of-oak- and demonstrates a strong level of originality and meaning through its four song progression. Out Of Oak claims to leave you “refreshed, rejuvenated, and reassured of a positive creative direction” and this positive attitude is reflected in their night Steeze.

The latest Steeze was their 10^th event, and the most recent have taken place at The Honor Oak pub in Forest Hill.  They happen on average every month, and the next one is on the 16^th of December. Here’s a link to their Facebook page so you can join the Steeze community, which i would highly recommend. http://www.facebook.com/Steeze.E.D?ref=ts&fref=ts. The page for their next event can also be found here- http://www.facebook.com/events/170784203063578/?fref=ts- and it’s definitely worth a visit!