This special concert helping to raise money for Acting for Others features a carefully curated collection of songs that reflects the last year perfectly.
Hosted and created by Sarah Drake, this concert offers a perfect opportunity to reflect on the last year through a selection of diverse songs but with a message of hope right at the centre of it all.
Calling on many of her fellow performer friends, Drake makes for a perfect host linking each performance with some lovely commentary filled with warmth and compassion. She gets the concert off to an assertive start with a bold rendition of ‘Don’t Rain On My Parade’ that is filled with heaps of personality, while her performance of ‘Apex Predator’ alongside Rebecca Stenhouse is a real treat to listen to.
Throughout it all, the concert is for the most part seamless – although on occasion the sound quality is a little bit hit and miss (only to be expected given the performers having to perform their song at home). But there is no denying that each song has a deep meaning and has been carefully selected to reflect on a particular theme. This can be seen through Tavia Rivée’s playful and enjoyable performance of ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’ that highlights our longing for socialising and connecting with people or Emma Salvo’s thoughtful and perceptive rendition of ‘Times Like These’ that absolutely sums up the last year.
At just over 40 minutes long, it is a very concise concert but there is no denying that it has a sense of earnestness about the way in which it has been put together and delivers perfectly in terms of entertainment value. But it would have perhaps been nice to hear from the other performers to discuss how the last year has impacted on them.
There are plenty of standout performances including ‘Beautiful City’ performed with great charm and understanding by Nick Hayes and Solomon Jaye’s ‘Through Heaven’s Eyes’ is a lovely way to round off this concert that is about communities healing and how we should be using this time trying to make positive changes within society.
A nice range of songs with a heartfelt message at its core, this is a really lovely little concert for a good cause – and leaves you feeling quite hopeful about the return of live performance.
By Emma Clarendon
There Will Be Light is available to watch for this weekend only through Youtube.
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