"The experience was beyond words, luring intense feelings to the surface and bringing me to tears."
On Friday 5th July, Roy McFarlane and Randolf Matthews enchanted the audience at the picturesque Hellens Manor. Having seen McFarlane read at the Benjamin Zephaniah celebration a week prior, I anticipated that his soothing voice would provoke a myriad of emotions, just as it had when he read Zephaniah’s poetry.
Matthews used a soundboard and loop sampler to create a mesmerizing backdrop. He started by verbally creating a beat, then layered in humming and rhythm, gradually building it up with vocalizing and singing until a hypnotic melody emerged. Against this throbbing musical background, McFarlane read a selection of his poems, ranging from stories of youth to messages of social injustice. His intense and passionate delivery elevated the emotional impact of his readings. McFarlane moved around the stage with emphatic gestures, leaning towards the audience, reaching out with his hands, and inviting us to join him in dance and exclamations. This level of involvement was striking, as the layered music painted vivid scenes for the poetry, transporting us to entirely different places despite being in such a divine building.
One poem about washing people’s feet at church evoked powerful childhood memories for me, having grown up in a religious background. However, the more sombre pieces, addressing racism, George Floyd, and other injustices, hit particularly hard due to the deep immersion in the words and sounds. Matthews wove his breathing into the beat, sang parts of Gil Scott-Heron’s music, and filled the room with echoes of profound emotion.
The experience was beyond words, luring intense feelings to the surface and bringing me to tears. Thankfully, McFarlane and Matthews, with their kind souls, stayed afterward to sign books and talk to the audience. They even gave me a hug upon seeing my tear-streaked face! Both artists exemplified the true essence of poetry and music: allowing us to feel deeply and transforming those emotions into a beautiful, shared experience.
About the reviewer
Alice Drury
Alice Drury is a recent ex-student of English Literature, Medieval History, and Classical Civilisations at Hereford Sixth Form College. Based in Ledbury, Alice has volunteered in the Poetry House and currently takes part in writing for her college newspaper. In her free time, she enjoys reading and comparing Ancient Greek theatre to modern plays, inspiring her to write her own performances.
