CAS @ Voice Storm

Last Wednesday (October 20), on a cold evening, whilst some may have allowed the mid-week blues to set in, we set out to sing the blues. Ctrl.Alt.Shift attended an intimate evening of live music and inspiration in the memory of the late Body Shop founder and humanitarian, Dame Anita Roddick, headlined by none other than her close friend and award-winning  music legend, Annie Lennox… 

The event titled Voice Storm [1] was hosted by charity Body & Soul [2], an organisation that supports women, heterosexual men, children and families living with or closely affected by HIV and AIDS - and what a storm of voices it was.

From start to finish the lucky Roundhouse audience were drenched with powerhouse vocals from the likes of Tennessee talent Lauren Pritchard, soul songstress Alice Russell and of course the incomparable Annie Lennox.

“I have to admit, for me, hearing Annie sing is like having an orgasm”

Our host for the evening was Radios 1’s Edith Bowman, who had the pleasure of bringing out act after act in what culminated in a celebration of solidarity, social acceptance and soul music. A highlight of the evening was when Alice Russell rocked up with her entire band instead of the ’acoustic’ performance previously advertised and surprised the crowd with a series of her super-charged blues and soul anthems.

The night was wrapped up with an acoustic set by the Ting Tings who had everyone jubilantly singing their hit, ‘That’s Not My Name’!

Whether patrons of the charity or just members of the public that had been drawn in by the impressive line up – everyone left with a sense of how far Anita Roddick’s legacy has really come. As the crowd eagerly awaited Annie’s performance, one of the brave young people the charity works with (Lynn) graced the stage with a heartfelt account of what it means to have the support of Body & Soul, and how they had helped her cope and reassure her she was “not going to die”.

Anita's daughter, Sam Roddick, took to the stage to announce the main act after chucking her cue cards wayside and delivering a genuinely inspirational speech. She then whipped the crowd into a fit of giggles by announcing “I have to admit, for me, hearing Annie sing is like having an orgasm.”

And then came Annie… and as predicted, so did Sam, and most of the audience!

“I wear it in solidarity with the people that share the virus, and I wish we could just get rid of stigma” 

She took up her stool at the baby grand piano and began with a haunting rendition ‘No More I Love You’. Yes, she still has it, her voice was incredible and her humility even more so, whilst debuting her latest single ‘Universal Child’ she confessed, “That was its maiden voyage – I’ll be better next time.” She rounded off her set with the bluesy ‘Playin With My Heart’ and treated the audience to an encore of the ten-time ASCAP award winning anthem 'Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)'.

We salute Body & Soul’s work to eradicate the historical negativity associated with the illness. Annie Lennox said it best with her on stage attire, she wore a ‘HIV POSITIVE’ Tee, “I wear it in solidarity with the people that share the virus, and I wish we could just get rid of stigma.” 

Words and photos: Maleena Pone

For more information about Body & Soul go here: www.bodyandsoulcharity.org [2]

To take action and get people the anti-HIV drugs they need, and to watch Ctrl.Alt.Shift’s short film on the stigma issue – ‘HIV: The Musical’, click here [3].