THE BRITISH COLLECTIVE - UK SOUL LEGENDS LIVE

You Asked For It And Now They’re Here! Yep, They’re... ...Ready For The UK!

Following on from the success of their groundbreaking collaboration, The British Collective, Volume 1, The Renaissance Begins... we are excited to announce that The British Collective (TBC) will be performing across the UK throughout 2018/2019.

Don-E, Junior Giscombe, Noel McKoy and Omar represent everything that is authentic and great about British soul music and truly deserves the mantle that has been given to them as ‘Godfathers of British Soul’. Admired by their peers and adored by their fans, these stalwarts of British soul music continue to transition from their early pioneering days as solo artists to present day and beyond, with the creativity, vision and passion that has been a trademark of their careers.

There’s a lot to look forward to in the next couple of years. New songs, new collaborations, special performances, personal tributes and guest appearances, both in the studio and on stage. It’s going to be quite a trip.

THE BRITISH COLLECTIVE...The Story So Far’

To put into context the significance of the collaborative birth of ‘The British Collective’ we must take a journey back into the relatively short history of British R&B music. Whilst, there were the odd record releases—as they were referred to, back in the day—during the sixties by UK R&B based artists, it was not the dominant genre of the black British experience. That was reggae, which had a loyal and enthusiastic audience, who celebrated the sounds of ‘home’, in a way that sustained their cultural identity. There was at the same time, several jazz-influenced artists who appealed to the older minority audiences, such as Georgie Fame and Dusty Springfield. Then of course—from across the pond—throughout the 60‘s and 70‘s, there was the powerhouse ‘Motown‘, the more gritty ‘Stax‘ and other soul-based labels that really grabbed the attention of black UK youth who were seeking to broaden their musical horizons.

It was not until the 70’s that we started to see British R&B start to shape its unique identity. That doesn’t mean there were no UK based artists, at the time. There was, in the late seventies, Billy Ocean, delivered the classic, ‘Red Light Spells Danger’, but as significant a milestone as it was, these type of recordings tended to occupy the Pop space.

The next milestone was the birth of British lovers rock in the 70’s. It was the urban expression of British born or based black artists in the reggae space. It had an authentic feel that was influenced by what went before but was distinctly British. This flavour resonated with British fledgeling artists who were experimenting with a new sound, ‘The sound of British Soul’. A sound that took from its lovers' rock reggae counterparts and fused it with soulful vocals, jazz and funk type arrangements, in a fresh and distinctly British way. It was now the 80’s and ready or not, the world was about to get its first taste of authentic ‘British Soul Music’.

Fast-forward to ‘The British Collective’. The core members of this landmark group are Don-e, Junior Giscombe, Noel McKoy and Omar, who have been amongst the ‘Torch Bearers’ of authentic British soul music since the 80’s. Individually, they have sold millions of records worldwide, recorded some of the most iconic British soul anthems and won many notable industry awards. They have performed, written for and recorded with many of the world’s R&B’s legends, such as Stevie Wonder and Phyliss Hyman through to Erykah Badu and Angie Stone in the neo-soul space.

The concept of ‘The British Collective’ had been an idea Junior had for a number of years but Don-e was the catalyst, making the collaboration a reality, when he recorded the track ‘Spiritual’ which was released in 2013 on his Little Star album and featured the core 4 members plus Carl McIntosh (of Loose Ends notoriety) and Rick Clarke. The response to the track kick-started the project and so it was time to put their creative heads together.

The wait was well and truly worth it as in 2016 the world enjoyed the fruits of their labour, The British Collective, Volume 1, The Renaissance Begins... became an instant hit and occupied the number 1 spot on the UK Soul Charts for several weeks. TBC was joined by Leee John on all tracks and several other male UK Soul legends featured on several tracks. A truly collaborative effort.

Whilst, the members of TBC are seasoned performers, who have done pretty much everything there is to do in music—one way or another—they were still overwhelmed by the response and particularly the demand for live performances. 2017 was already challenging for the guys as their solo careers had committed engagements. With that year now behind us, 2018 is the year in which they give thanks to the thousands of fans who supported them, by hitting the road and giving them what they have been asking for...TBC in the flesh.

This fully collaborative and iconic project brings together seasoned artists, musicians and performers who continue to carry forward the torches they lit several decades ago. There is no ‘lead’ singer when it’s their time to step to the mic, they do so. A true collaboration, that deserves its place in music history.

‘Authentic British Soul Music’

Our Manifesto:
Love, togetherness, respect and integrity in large portions.

Our Mediums:
Music, videography, the spoken word, the written word and your experience.

Our Voices:
Don-E, Junior Giscombe, Leee John, Noel McKoy, Omar and our soul family.

Our Collective Challenge:
We live in times, where image has replaced substance, profanity guises as love and relationships begin and end in a heartbeat. But, it wasn’t always like that. We recall a time when love was an everyday currency and music was its carrier. When families, friends and community celebrated common values that gave us a sense of belonging. When the melodies of the day were directly linked to who we were, are and could be. Was that an era gone by? We don’t think so.

That time is here again, that time is now!

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Please note your dining time is 7.00pm (Excluding lounge tickets) - if you wish to change this to an earlier or later dining time please contact our reception team after you have purchased your tickets on 0207 715 5818 or email reception@boisdale-cw.co.uk attaching your ticket.

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ABOUT THE VENUE

Jools Holland, Boisdale’s Patron of Music presents the best in jazz, blues and soul.
About the venue: https://youtu.be/SJhROJnoJLQ

Boisdale of Canary Wharf is a two-floor venue overlooking Cabot Square which comprises a restaurant, four private dining rooms, Oyster Bar & Grill and Cigar Terrace, the world’s greatest Whisky Bar, and the best live music in the capital.

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