Brighton Goes Gospel

 

Singing carols is a Christmas tradition. Last night the Brighton Goes Gospel (GGG) community choir performed at the Hove Town hall to an enthusiastic audience of about 400. When I say ‘enthusiastic’ I mean that both choir and audience sang, stamped, clapped, hollered and swayed - it was quite an evening!

Founded in the year 2000, the BGG is ‘a non-religious (all religions and none) community gospel choir run by volunteers.’ In fact, the BGG is really two choirs; the Workshop Choir of up to 100 learners, and the Performance Choir, limited to 50 more experienced and able performers.

 Last night’s program included gospel classics, traditional carols and recent compositions. Both choirs acquitted themselves well with quite a variety of material. Very much in charge was the new choir director, Daniel Thomas, himself a hugely capable singer and songwriter who has worked with music legends like James Brown and Luther Vandross.

In fact, Daniel Thomas was as much a star as the choir. His whole body was a conductor’s baton; jerking, twitching, straining, stamping, thrusting, every sinew resonating with the music until the last quivering note, when he would slumped back and mop his brow. More, his vocal range and dexterity was astonishing and the concert concluded with a friendly verbal joust with several singers that was spectacular, the accelerating tempo rising to a dizzying crescendo.

Waiting in the sub-zero temperature for a lift home, I wondered if it was possible to truly engage with gospel music, as performer or audience, while remaining untouched by the lyrics. Certainly, carols are even more unambiguous works of praise, like the old favourites we sang, including these words from ‘Away in a Manger’:

 I love thee Lord Jesus
Look down from the sky
And stay by my side:  
‘Til morning is nigh.

 Caution: gospel singing may affect your transcendental balance.