17:30 We arrive at Leicester Square station. Aba continues on to Camden Town and I take the Northern Line to Waterloo where I have arranged for the Lioness to pick me up at 17:45.
17:45 I arrive at the prearranged meeting point and guess what, no Lioness!
17:55 No Lioness!
18:05 No Lioness!
18:12 Lioness pulls up in the car. To say I am not amused is an understatement! I am a stickler for punctuality. It is a well known fact about me that I would rather be 20 minutes early for an appointment than 5 minutes late. I run things like clockwork.
Organisational skills are all about timing. Opportunities are all about timing. Crossing the road is all about timing. Music is all about timing. Life is about the usage and expenditure of time. Time rules your life. Once time has passed you cannot get it back.
If you arrive at 10:30 at the station for a 10:00 train, that train has gone, and if that was the first part of your journey it means that your whole travel itinerary is shot and sorry is not going to cut it. Also tardiness leads to unnecessary pressure and that leads to mistakes. It also leads to arguments!
I know that makes me pedantic and to some retentive, but if you are involved in anything that I have arranged you would be glad that I am taking the responsibility and all that I ask is that you are on time.
Well back to the report, I have wasted too much time on explanations.

The drive to Camden was to say the least fraught. Dave & Syl who were in the back were very quiet and to those that know Syl know that this is not her usual behaviour. The roads were very busy due to road works at Euston and Kings Cross and I had to do some serious maneuvers to by pass the jams.

19:10 We eventually arrive at Dingwalls. I drop off the passengers and drive off to find a place to park the car.
By the way you know what I said about punctuality, well Blood Shanti had been calling me on and off since 16:30 to find out my location and more to the point the Lioness's. You see Blood had roped in the Lioness to do the interviews of the patrons attending the gig, before and after. There was a small queue developing and he was worried that she wouldn't be there in time to start the interviews before the doors opened at 19:00.

19:20 I enter the venue and finishing touches are being put to the sound system and the band sound check is in progress.
Jahorge, Babbs & Queen, Babar, Sweet T, Mikey Muscle, Markus, William, Jah T, Fuzzy, Shandi-I, Kojak, Cyrus, Jahmel, Padget, Sister Miriam and of cause Blood are in attendance.
19:25 I advise Fuzzy about the balance of the sound. We have to use a digital FOH mixer and I hate them as they are not tactile.
19:45 The sound check over the band go and get some food from the caterers.
20:00 The doors are eventually opened, one hour late and the Lioness starts her interviewing. It is raining and a strong wind is blowing.
20:05 I go outside to have a cigarette and join the others sheltering from the elements. From across the courtyard the familiar strains of Emmanuel Joseph's album are booming out from a record stall. I look at Emmanuel who is among the assembled and we smile at each other.

20:20 To the thunderous sound of 'The Mighty Aba Shanti-I' people are entering the venue. 20:30 I go back inside the venue and start taking pictures. Aba is running tunes and dub plates from 20 years ago and the ever increasing crowd is dancing away. The amount of familiar and not so familiar faces are recorded on my camera. 21:00 Momma Shanti, Collete, Lorraine and Kelly arrive. 21:10 Roots Shanti is in attendance. 21:15 Rim Bim, Reuben and Queen, June, Matty and nuff bredin and sistren are in attendance. 21:20 Blood tells me that the band are going on at 22:00 to allow more patrons time to arrive.As Aba rinsed out tunes and the Lioness doing her VTV interviews I wandered around taking photos for prosperity.

22:00 The band takes to the stage and launch into a selection of dubs from the first album, 'The Wrath Of Jah'. I take pictures.
The first of the artiste to join The Shanti-Ites on stage is Sister Miriam and she delivers a sublime version of 'Digital Children'. She then does her forth coming single One By One' as I try to capture the moment.
I have to take umbrage with the dawta that for some reason thought she was more entitled to the space around the right hand side of the stage and kept blocking me as I tried to make my way around to take pictures. Not once mine you, but nuff times.
It got so bad I eventually had to bounce her out of the way. Otis the drummer from the 'Ras Ites' who was standing by the pillar thought it was highly amusing. She might have been a friend of Sister Miriam, but that is no excuse for rudeness. The fact that she didn't know who I was speaks volumes for belief in her own self importance. If you ain't part of the solution then you are part of the problem, so move!
As the sweet refrain drifted across the people, I went and took pictures of the patrons from around the venue.

Yes Rueben I saw you dancing. In all the 18 years I have known Rueben and that includes tour managing him on the road, I have never seen him dance. Bubble with his bass on stage yes, but dance, no.
Sister June was at the back of the venue keeping herself very quiet and just observing wat a gwan.
Momma Shanti, Kelly, Lorraine, Aba, Collete, Syl, Dave, Dionne, Andrew & Ayshia were all smiling and rocking away as the band beat out a riddim you could slice bread with.
Dan-I from Italy was taking in the vibes also.
Next up was Shandi-I who put in an emotive performance with songs from his forthcoming album and had the crowd a way, you get me?
He was followed by Emmanuel Joseph who dredged up some low vocal notes from way down ah gully in his delivery of 'Open Road' and other selections from his recently released album' Psalms From The Heart'.
Then it was the turn of the one Blood Shanti who started with 'Teardown' and ran through a brief selection of his released tunes. He ended his set with 'Holy Mountain' and the crowd was singing along.
All the artistes then got up on stage and delivered the finale. The crowd at the end of the set showed nuff appreciation for the works presented. Smiles and cheers all over de place.
Andrew told me that this is the best band he has heard in ages and they were on the money in their delivery.
One female patron whose boyfriend regularly comes home soaking wet with perspiration after an Aba session, came along for the first time to find out what all the fuss was about and remarked that she will definitely now be accompanying her man to Aba sessions, she loved it. More so she told VTV that she will now follow the band also and attend whenever they are playing, she thought that they were awesome.

This sentiment was echoed by another female patron who had never heard of Aba Shanti or Blood Shanti and had only come to the venue to check out what was going on when she saw the stream of people heading towards the venue. She was absolutely knocked out by the stage performance and vowed also to attend all the band's gigs from now on.The Japanese gentleman in the wheel chair, who I had never seen before at one of our sessions, was gushing in his praise for the band. He didn't speak English but he told Yus the photographer and Shandi who are both Japanese, his thoughts.

You see it there. I have written about the band and how if you get a chance you must check them out, and try as I might to convince you that it is not hyperbole. Some of you may be a bit sceptical and think this is just a marketing ploy to take your hard earned pennies. But the proof is in the attendance. Come and check them out for yourselves and be truly blown away.

One Love
                The Humble Lion  

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