West Indian Centre 09/10

There are few times when you find yourself queuing between an Oompaloompa and a giant sweet, and for that reason alone, this experience should be special. Magically, RaiseTheRoof managed to provide a great deal of other weird and wonderful experiences plucked straight from a world of bubblegum meals and glass lifts (rather than the depths of Chapeltown).

This cold October night undertook a grand metamorphosis into a surreal summer festival, not only showcasing a sheer diversity of talent, but also a familiar trope of RaiseTheRoof- disregard for convention.

If you could point me to another night where breakdancers are supported by a huge barrage of percussion, where ‘acidic Gypsy music’ is widely accepted as a genre, and where rather special characters tempt you into corners with arrays of baked goods, I would not only be impressed, but also a little scared. The whole experience was undeniably otherworldly, with the quirky sounds of Biscuithead and the Biscuit Badgers throwing you into another unknown realm of leftfield. Sadly, Black Diamond Bay failed to live up to such natural artistic eccentricity, momentarily taking ‘wonky’ and making it (excuse me) ‘wanky’. Fortunately, Paper Tigers soon followed and were the unreserved success of the night, with their lyrical quips and infectious beats perfectly complementing this carnival of creativity.
    
This array of near nonsensical wonders had a fiercely poignant core message. Allied with Unite Against Fascism (Love Music Hate Racism) for the first time, RaiseTheRoof demonstrated unity within variety, between eccentrics, oddities and Wonkas alike. With the threatening appearance of the English Defence League in Leeds looming later this month, this celebration of diversity could never have been more apt.

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