Review: Flavour Live – End of Year Bumper Special

The final Flavour Live of 2011 took off in spectacular fashion, with more acts than ever and a brand-new venue which pretty much defined the meaning of cool.

Held in the Hoxton Bar and Kitchen in Shoreditch, the acts warmed up in the stage area as people ordered some colourful cocktails. Kicking off was AK S, who rapped a sober but energetic set with an amazing live band and back-up singers. He ended his time in epic fashion, making the audience feel like they had been to his concert.

Lioness burst on the stage to a large cheer. The down to earth MC dropped a freestyle, her new single and another accapella which was so cleverly orchestrated it was reminiscent of a spoken word session.

I caught up with Stooshe at the bar who were all smiles, even after saying they were kinda tired after starting the day “in the gym at 9am.” When I asked if that was a new routine to accompany their newly found fame, they told us that it is all in preparation for their new video, which they went to film in LA on Friday.

Performing Salt n Peppers ‘Whatta Man’, Stooshe showed the audience why they are being compared to TLC by music critics. With an old school feel, a funky fashion sense, pure talent and pure British voices, the girls truly are something new and exciting in the music scene. They wrapped up the show with their BBC Radio 1 track of the week; ‘Betty Was Gone’.

Arnold Oceng’s act and talented guitarist Jack Colton hit the stage sounding very much like Ed Sheeran. Not an imitation though – this guy has clearly been working on his craft for years. The audience seemed to sway with the relaxing melodies, mellowing us out after Stooshe’s pounding set.

The beautiful Juliyaa was graceful, with a melodic voice that kept the audience captivated with what she calls “rhythmic soul.” Her single ‘The Rhythm’ is available to download now.

When The Trinity Band hit the mics, it felt like it completed the night. The 5 piece group from Derby set the stage alight, showing us why they won ‘Live and Unsigned 2011’.

Mighty had everyone bopping their heads and kept the crowd alert and feeling rewarded after a long night of standing and cheering by the intimate stage, which gave great views to everyone in the room.

X Factor band Misunderstood hit the stage and I remembered when they were asked by the judges to break up to get ahead in the competition; to which they refused. I’m pleased for them that they stayed together; they have a strong dynamic.

Other acts who rocked the stage were the amazing Jaye, Dewy Sinatra, Parson and Khalia.

Thank you to all of the amazing home grown acts who came down to make the last Flavour Live of 2011 truly special. Not forgetting a big thank you to our sponsors PRS for MUSIC Foundation and www.hoodvideoshop.com for filming the event.

Don’t forget to look out for footage of the event coming online very soon. Who was your favourite act? For now, check out previous performances from Loick Essien, Rachel Kerr, Cleo Sol and more here.

We’ll see you on the other side!