It was meant to be a return to the days of Red Wedge and Rock Against Racism, when musicians publicly stood up for political causes. In the case of Red Wedge, a collective of musicians spearheaded by Paul Weller, Jimmy Sommerville and Billy Bragg, the aim was to support the left leaning Labour Governement of Neil Kinnock in their battle challenging the supremacy of Margaret Thatcher and her Conservative Party.
The parallels with 2016 are striking. Labour is in the doldrums again, and in the middle of some deep heart-searching, as well as looking at a long uphill struggle to unseat a Conservative Party who have piled on austerity economics on a nation still reeling from the financial crisis of 2007 and 2008, the worst economic disaster since the Great Depression, lest we forget.
The last few years has seen an upsurge in radicalism in both music and politics as the economic conditions for the poorest in particular reach crisis point. The shock victory of Jeremy Corbyn in winning the Labour leadership race last year (it's easy to forget that he was only able to enter as a candidate after some Labour MPs 'lent' him their vote, in the interests of democracy), the subsequent EU referendum, the rise of Donald Trump, and the general upsurge in populism – both left and right – in Europe, has helped to ferment turbulence and uncertainty in politics. The peope are speaking, and they're speaking their minds, however uncomfortable that may be for the so-called 'establishment'.
Organised by music journalist Lois Wilson and the Brighton branch of Momentum, the campaigning wing of the Labour Party that is actively supporting Jeremy Corbyn, it was persuading the Modfather himself, Paul Weller, to take part in his first direct support of a politician since Kinnock that clinched the deal, and the possibility of such an event becoming a reality. Would there be the public support for People Powered? Yes, was the answer, The Dome being very close to a sell out (albeit filled by what must have been soley Labour supporters, along with a few Weller diehards), the organisers smartly utilising both the bar area and main auditorium for a 'revue' type affair.
Of course, the 'festival' nature of these type of events – with short sets and quick turnovers – leaves open the distinct possibility of chaos, mirroring current politics of course. But, to the credit of the organisers and the plethora of stage crew, People Powered largely ran without incident or undue delay, although almost inevitably it did overrun.
The only really disappointing part of the live action was the use of the bar stage for acoustic acts. Bedevilled by poor acoustics and sound restrictions, both Edgar Summertyme Jones and Kathyrn Williams (despite being aided by The Magic Numbers' Michele Stodart) suffered, in the latter case because of Williams' very intimate vocal and acoustic style that just can't reach out in noisy bar areas such as this. However, later on, Ghetto Priest and his band – including, crucially, a 'soundman' – delivered one of the sets of the evening; a superb concoction of dub, grime, percussive African-fusion, and rock, that had the growing audience nodding and tapping away, many with big smiles on their faces. The former football hooligan turned frontman of Asian Dub Foundation, has the tunes, the beautiful soulful voice and the onstage personality to make a name for himself.
The eclecticism of the bill was further exemplified by saxophonist Soweto Kinch (who was later found to be one of those grinning at the sight and sounds of Ghetto Priest). He kicked off the main stage with a slimmed down three-piece (himself, double bass and drums), and performed a stirring version of 'Nostalgia', audience participation'n'all, from this activist (he is responsible for The Flyover arts and music festival that takes place underneath a motorway in Birmingham).
With many bands to get through and short turnarounds (there was an extraordinary number of amps and cables on stage), there was very little time to relax before the quirky three-piece all-girl band Stealing Sheep took to the stage in fetching polka dot onesies. Again doing a slightly stripped back version of themselves, but still effortlessly creating a mildly frenetic indie-pop-dance sound, they ended with their obligatory co-ordinated pose for the cameras.
Guitars dominated proceedings from hereon in, beginning with the underated Bill Ryder-Jones, a gifted songwriter, who claimed on stage that he personally got the call from JC to appear here. Whatever the case, 'Satellites' is typical of Jones, a song that alternates noisy grunge with quieter Lou Reed-esque verses. Even better are the quite brilliant Temples. Certainly, their recorded material doesn't quite match up to what they can deliver on stage. A sublimely clear sounding pot-pourri of Byrdesque jangle, acid rock and psychedelic pop, with matching clothes and hairdos so that no mistake could be made as to where their cultural hearts lie. They make a great sound on stage and have an undoubted ability with the craft of songwriting. Their new album is expected in the new year, so watch this space.
Jim Jones and The Righteous Mind were born out of the Jim Jones Revue who called it a day back in 2014. The differences are light though, as Jones and the band continue their love affair with high octane rock'n'roll, albeit tempered slightly by a dreamier outlook. Still, 'Boil Yer Blood' sounds more like a fetishistic nightmare than anything fluffy, and it’s perhaps their signature song, featuring the dual inteplay of grating guitar strokes and staccatoing piano.
Paul Weller, ever the naughty one, puffed on a real fag beside the stage, ready to go on with a collection of musician friends, put together for this ocassion, including an exceedingly rare live gig for the wheelchair-bound Robert Wyatt. Ostensibly retired from music, the rumour is that he is getting in shape to do some live dates next year. But in the meantime he, Weller and Steve Pilgrim alternated songs, based around keys, guitars, drums and the double bass of Danny Thompson, a contemporary of Wyatt. Inevitably, they sounded a little unready for the moment, and rather sadly, there were the usual hardcore Weller fans and lookalikes in the auidience who were hoping that he might, just might, dig into his bag of classics. But, of course, he didn't oblige, instead performing a series of new songs ("why bring back anything, why not start anew," says Weller in response to fans heckling for the oldies). Meanwhile, Wyatt is obviously stage rusty, but his voice still can hit that distinct sweet spot, and he, like Weller, opts for a series of lesser known songs, such as Mass Medium, which originally appeared on his 1985 Old Rottenhat album, a song that Wyatt introduced saying the whole press had turned into gutter press. The old socialist warrior hasn't changed his spots it seems, nor will Corbyn himself who follows them on stage and delivers a short speech; a mix of his politics but also some warm words towards the musicians who appeared here, and the importance of music in general.
The word is that this event acted as a test run for more in the future, beginning with Liverpool sometime next year.
Jeff Hemmings