Adisa's 1968: The Year That Never Ended...

According to legendary performance poet Benjamin Zephaniah, "Adisa is the future. It's so good to have something to look forward to."

Well, with high praises like this one must simply get along to seeing the celebrated performance poet for their self.

Adisa's one-man show uses poetry and music to explore the voices and movements of '68 -the year of Adisa's birth.

Weaving folk, reggae, soul, Afrobeat and hits such as I Heard It Through The Grapevine by Marvin Gaye, Upsetters by Bob Marley and the Wailers and Street Fighting Man by the Rolling Stones to draw a direct comparison with cultural attitudes today, Adisa says, "The show draws parallels between two different points in history – 1968 and now - that share common themes including the human desire for global change and more individual freedom."

The event is produced by Renaissance One, whose 10th anniversary coincides with the 2010 performances. They have established themselves as one of the leading pioneers in the field, producing and curating spoken-word, poetry and fiction-based events and championing a range of artists including Kwame Dawes, Sophie Woolley, Antony Joseph and Patience Agbabi, focusing on work reflecting the buzz and mix in contemporary culture.

For years, audiences have been introduced to illuminating, uplifting and thought-provoking work which might otherwise have gone unnoticed. The contemporary arts and literature scene would be a lot poorer without it.

Previous Renaissance One events included the EMMA Award-nominated, sell-out show Modern Love and Jamaica's best-known reggae poet, Mutabaruka, in 2008.

Adisa, who was born in Luton, will be touring both his home town and London as part of a national tour of his work. The show is for eleven years to adult, it contains no offensive language or languages pertaining to specific religious or cultural beliefs and is not physically revealing in terms of dress or performance. The mood makes it suitable for all the family in terms of its mix of stimulating spoken word, comedy and entertainment in terms of music and songs by guest musician Randolph Matthews.

Adisa's 1968: The Year That Never Ended will be staged on 4th Feb at The Hat Factory, Luton (01582 878 100) then on 16th Feb at the Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS. 7.30pm. Adm: £7; conc £5. Info: 020 7638 8891 / www.barbican.org.uk

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