Renell Shaw: The Windrush Suite & Echo in the Bones
Lineup
About the Event
Join Artist in Residence Renell Shaw for an evening that celebrates history, identity and the power of music.
This special performance marks the first-ever presentation of Shaw’s Ivor Novello Award-winning The Windrush Suite with a full live ensemble. A heartfelt tribute to Shaw’s Caribbean roots and the trailblazing Windrush generation who arrived in Britain in 1948, the work combines music, spoken word and storytelling to bring their experiences vividly to life.
The second half presents Echo in the Bones, Shaw’s electrifying follow-up to The Windrush Suite. Exploring what it means to be Black British through the eyes of the Windrush generation’s children, it weaves music, history and storytelling into a moving portrait of resistance, legacy and belonging.
Part of Shaw’s year-long residency at Kings Place, this powerful double bill sits at the heart of our Memory Unwrapped season, exploring the extraordinary power of music to preserve history, honour memory, and connect generations.
Distinguished musicians directed by Shaw include multi-instrumentalist Orphy Robinson MBE; renowned classical crossover cellist Ayanna Witter-Johnson; Rudimental trumpeter Mark Crown, Trombonist Nathaniel Cross; Charlie Laffer, who plays for Maverick Sabre, on guitar; Jorja Smith bassist Mutale Chashi; Olivier-award-winning composer Romarna Campbell (Sleepova) on drums, award-winning pianist Zoe Alexandria and not least, Grammy-award-winning and legendary tenor saxophonist Jean Toussaint.
Vocalists include the powerhouse voice of Afronaut Zu (lead singer of Afro-punk band Steam Down), OFFIE Award-winner Rochelle Rose (Best Performance in musical Black Power Desk) and the modern soulfulness of artist Nandi (on ITV’s The Voice 2018).
This event will last approximately 1 hour 40 minutes, including an interval.
Reviews
‘A breath of fresh air. Very atmospheric.’ Jazzie B OBE
‘Renell is a multi-talented producer and songwriter who has been instrumental in the making of our songs.’ Rudimental
‘Deeply rooted in the tradition of his ancestry, Renell Shaw is a remarkable musician and composer, an important voice of our time.’ Ayanna Witter-Johnson