The HKB Finn Ensemble

Seeing the HKB Finn Ensemble reminded me of the power of a live band;  it was phenomenal to hear their mix of different sounds from afro-beat to jazz to roots reggae to afro-cuban and the energy that they elicited from the audience.
To put it simply, spoken word artist HKB Finn writes beautiful music, from the words to the beat to the way he combines his artistic ability with the talents of his band. The sounds were exquisite and moved us to dance, clap and ofcourse sing along. Dealing with contemporary issues and always providing an inspirational messages; to say HKB Finn has a way with words may be stating the obvious but for me that and his ear for smooth yet catchy beats is what makes what he does so unique.
I am someone who is usually sceptical about going to see artists whose work I don't know, nothing quite moves me like being able to sing along to my favourite tune. Yet even though this was my first encounter with the artist and his band, from the moment they stepped on to the stage till the end of their set, some 90 minutes later, I was enthralled. I sang along to tunes like the hilarious Blacktowne Benediction (about South London's Old Kent and its large concentration of churches) and Shake it Up which encourages us to shed all the 'issues' that we face in our daily lives and just party.

The combination of HKB Finn's spoken word artistry and the incredible vocals of lead singer Tracey Campbell on the track 'Dreams of You' which includes lines like 'I never knew peace like this, until it came in an ecstatic kiss' made us want more of this phenomenal band. And what made it even more special was that they gave us what we wanted, after a set that lasted an hour and a half with no costume change, no diva antics, just pure brilliant live music, we still had an encore performance. The HKB Finn Ensemble engaged their audience from start to finish, and the passion which each band member displayed was rewarded by the crowd's enthusiasm.

It was an incredible night of pure entertainment, old-fashioned in that there were no gimmicks, yet modern because of the fusion of sounds and talents. Even if you are not a spoken word fan, the brilliant music written by the talented Andrew Ward will get you.

If you get a chance to see The HKB Finn Ensemble, please do so, if not the album Natural Eloquence will serve as a constant reminder of why you need to see these guys perform. In a word....Fabulous!

Dates for London:
February 26: Rich Mix, 35-37 Bethnal Green Road, London E1 6LA
March 13 (Solo set) Ronnie Scotts, 47 Frith Street, London W1D 4HT
Natural Eloquence