Vital storytelling that isn’t always on beat
Early 2000s. An illegal pirate radio station blasts from a rundown council flat. As the Shutdown Crew navigate the threats from the outside world, they fight for the right to speak. Set across the early 2000s to late 2010s, we see station founder Hughbert (Andrew Brown) and his family and friends caught in the racial politics of the time.
The play is produced by Big House, an arts charity working with care-affected and criminalised young people. Their lived experience shines through the production as the play tackles a range of themes with both passion and care: the over-policing of racialised communities, the devastating impact of the hostile environment and the rise of Islamophobia, to name a few. The criminalisation of rap and drill music has very rarely been depicted on stage, and James Meteyard with co-writer Jammz give it due attention.
It’s an ambition to be commended but doesn’t entirely pay off. The play’s expansiveness means the narrative becomes somewhat disjointed, as we miss the events in the intervening years. This comes at the expense of our investment in the characters’ relationships; sparks of a brewing romance, a death in the family and an attack on the estate help to build stakes but are too briefly depicted to keep the tension sustained. There is slightly too much to fit into the show’s runtime, even if it is all ripe for theatrical exploration.
Marcus Omoro is a standout in the five-strong ensemble. His transformation from the shy and restrained Jason to the formidable ‘Big J’, a rapper with a cult following, is entirely convincing. This is well-accompanied by the costume design of Lambdog, which helps capture the play’s shifting times. Brown’s performance of Hughbert brings a nostalgic lightness and humour, but he plays the emotional moments with a deep sincerity. Whilst the dialogue can lack subtext, the performers all do well with the material to keep up the energy under the direction of Maggie Norris.
Jammz’ music is the heart of Blaze FM and provides a powerful historical landscape of Black British music, blending jungle, garage, grime and drill. It is often through his lyrics that we get a true insight into the characters; Aisha’s (Anais Lone) yearning for her mother is well-executed through an R&B track, deepening her connection with father Hughbert. At times, the pace is slowed rather than accelerated by Blaze FM’s gig theatre style, but the performers’ musical abilities always make it an enjoyable watch. Leo Patrick as Pritstik mixes on the decks with the skill of a DJ with years of experience, and Aliaano El-Ali as Alpha easily impresses as a rapper to rival ‘Big J’.
Video design by Mic Pool and set design by Tina Torbey evoke 60s Hackney tower blocks which both shelter and trap the flat’s occupants. Projections throughout reflect the politics of the time as we see and hear the words of Blair, Bush and Cameron.
Although the twists and turns of the play’s events don’t entirely come to fruition, it is an entirely necessary piece of theatre as we witness the cost of the past and the present crash down on Hughbert’s family and friends.
Blaze FM tours until 8th October. Tickets are available here.