A nostalgic look into the height of the black British grime scene
When I entered the room in which Lil.Miss.Lady would be performed, I was intrigued upon noticing the lack of seating. On the main stage was a smiling, vibrant woman calling herself DJ Harmony (portrayed by DJ Kaylee Kay), donning a pair of headphones as a banging 90s rave mix blasted through her speakers. Initially apprehensive, we all stood and looked up in curiosity, nervous yet unable to resist swinging our arms and tapping our feet.
Lil.Miss.Lady is a combination of two shows. There is the narrative, in which we follow the rise to fame of a 15-year-old East London rapper named Jayda (portrayed by Lady Lykez), and the rave, in which DJ Harmony and a young rapper, the duo named High Rise UK, give us the time of our lives on the dancefloor. The show brought out the vitality and awesomeness of everyone in attendance – no matter how shy and still we may have been at first, we were all moving and cheering by the end!
The entire show was epic and hilarious. I have high praise for the rave section – the performers were filled with energy from beginning to end, hyping us up by letting us cheer along to the lyrics and giving us fun props such as whistles and horns. There were no bad tracks in the mix, and the attention to detail on screen made me laugh out loud! We were dancing, yes, but my autistic arse could not help but look up and notice the usual, 90s/noughties nonsense being projected on the large screen behind DJ Harmony, e.g. peaceful protests on the streets, photographs being taken of Nelson Mandela, the iconic accidental BBC News interview of Guy Goma. The rave united every member of the audience in joy and nostalgia. It was truly a legendary experience.
The narrative was also highly entertaining. All the actors (Lady Lykez, Fahad Shaft, Joshua Cameron, Alexander Lobo Moreno, and Aliaano Elali) were fantastic, particularly Lykez and Cameron. Lykez was electrifying, switching effortlessly from a giddy 15-year-old to an independent adult who had experienced frustration and the difficulties of being a woman in a male-dominated industry. Cameron, portraying fellow group member Twist, perfectly conveyed the silly pettiness, comedy, and aggression of any young adult male desperate to prove he is better than all the girls. Though the rave scene may resonate more with the older members of the audience, there is a piece of nostalgia in it for everyone.
However, the narrative was also not without its weak points. The transitions from the rave back to the main story were quite abrupt, and though there were moments in which the two shows were intertwined this could be quite confusing to tell at first (we were getting our groove on! How would we know to look for the actors on the dancefloor with us?). Also, the rave parts could be rather long (the opening rave was 23 minutes!), so when we were brought back to the narrative, it was quite sudden. In addition, it seemed like there would be social commentary involved – the characters would begin discussing police racism, a major element of the grime scene, but not discuss it to its fullest extent. But in all, the show was strong. It was immersive, a trip down memory lane, and so I recommend this to all those who love a good time.
The black British grime scene shaped, and continues to shape, a multitude of young adulthoods. It is exciting to step into a club for the first time and be showered in the lights, the basslines, and the party on the dancefloor. Kudos to all involved, including the lovely audience for being so amazing!!