Photo: WENN
Politically charged, brutally honest and thoroughly intelligent - George Mpanga, better known as George the Poet, brings his spoken verse to the intimate Oslo - and it’s a lot more than listening to a man speak in rhyme.
It’s difficult to place George’s performance in contemporary music. He delivers his street-savvy rhyme in between moments of ambient guitar and snapping snare drum, to flashes of pure social commentary. It’s a relaxing soundscape but his lyrics pack a punch; we pay attention to what is being said, not what is being played. The lyrics are dexterous, sharp and witty; George is a true storyteller as he reels off tracks from his Chicken and Egg EP.
George performs through various themes, often dealing with the struggles contemporary youths face in today’s society. It’s a unique set; George uses clothes as props to portray different personas as he talks at length about social exclusion whilst listing statistics between tracks.
The set has a risk of being lecture-like, but credit where it’s due, this Cambridge graduate knows what he’s talking about and is determined to educate. George proposes a manifesto from his new book ‘Search Party’ and urges his audience to “read the pages” because he has a plan.
“If you lot think I came here to sell records you got me fucked up. I’m not an artist!” George announces. It’s easy to see why this talented performer was placed on the BBC Sound of 2015 list, as well as nominated for the Critics’ Choice Award.
With ‘Search Party’ released and rallying up supporters at gigs, we’ll just have to wait and see how George is able to utilise his music and poetry into the change and action he wants to see.
