Meansjoy Presents Acoustic Soul Session: Ayo Bamidele

Music, they say, is the heart and soul of a mindset reset. When created in a certain way, it can be extremely beneficial for meditation, life coaching and empowerment. Meanjoy Presents Acoustic Soul Session: Ayo Bamidele not only embraces this concept with beautiful original music and storytelling. It also enables life and spiritual insights to create a moment where, despite our busy lives, we are allowed to switch off for 90 minutes to just be present and take a breath.

From the moment we entered St Augustine’s, we were immediately struck by the beautiful surroundings and atmospheric lighting that set the scene for the evening. It was a gentle, changing coloured light at the back of the room, highlighting the dramatic arches, which was balanced out by the peaceful grounding factor of two salt lamps to bring a warm feel despite the unusual cold and rainy weather outside (it’s only June!). The natural light shining through the former church windows also added a touch of simple clarity to the stage that simply had two guitars on stands, a microphone, and amplifiers. I say simple clarity, as there were no special gimmicks to indicate what was ahead. A man with a soul and an uplifting voice.

The only slight critique, which was verified at the end of the evening by some, was to look at the echo and reverb used on the microphone. Sadly, on occasion, parts of the linking stories and lyrics were not able to be heard despite most people being at the front of the stage. Whilst it didn’t affect the proceedings too much, it would have been nice to hear everything. Especially as the linking insights between each song were uplifting, inspiring, and had a humble, quiet sense of hope to them.

Despite this, Ayo Bamidele had a peaceful and mindful sense of awareness woven into every chord and lyric created, which made a musical evening become a sacred, safe space of emotional resetting, encouraging us to look deeper within ourselves and begin the journey of reconnecting with a sense of self. A very unusual usage of folk and acoustic music, which turned the whole experience on its head and made it extremely enjoyable.

Bamidele reminded me of one of my favourite artists of all time, Seal, as the insights kept evolving. He had a stillness that connected both a spiritual side and personal journeys that allowed us to get to know the man behind the wisdom.

Whilst every song was beautifully sung and composed, highlights included ‘Belief’, ‘Ascendance’, and ‘Pond’. ‘Belief’ was based on some life observations from Tony Robbins, who suggested that in order to live, we choose our beliefs. With this in mind, Bamidele wrote the song thinking about what if it went deeper than just choosing beliefs. What if we chose them for our own happiness? This was a track that reminded us of this very choice and that life was not about surviving. ‘Ascendance’ explored the concept of opposites balancing each other out in relation to each other, reminding us to check in. But it was ‘Pond’ that surprised me in a good way, due to the fact that he said nothing about it and let the lyrics speak to the individual to interpret. I was particularly drawn to the lyric that encouraged us to look at ourselves in the mirrored, watery reflection and reflect on what we see. That can be the starting point for many to restart and recharge.

A beautiful and insightful experience is how I would describe Meansjoy Presents Acoustic Soul Session: Ayo Bamidele. You’ll go in with life’s worries and leave with none. Keep an eye out for Bamidele as new gigs are announced.

Reviewed by Sascha Cooper

Ayo Bamidele is a singer-songwriter based in East London that is often compared to artists like Richie Havens, Bill Withers and Tracy Chapman. He plays his own original songs that cover life’s loves, challenges and joys. Inspired initially by the socially conscious lyrics of bands like The Jam, The Clash and The Specials. He later developed a taste for the poeticism of artists like Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Nick Drake and Nina Simone. He has been playing live at clubs and festivals for over 25 years, expect heartfelt soulful vocals and a self-taught innovative guitar style.

He recently recorded and released two studio albums, The Master Tapes and The Recorder, that were produced by producer Brendan Lynch, who is famed for his work with Paul Weller, Ocean Colour Scene and Carleen Anderson.

Meansjoy Presents Acoustic Soul Session: Ayo Bamidele
St Augustine’s Arts Centre, Brighton