Milly, the eventual winner of ILUVLYRICS, strikes a pose alongside her cousin Billy prior to the event.
Image © Leena Mistry 2010
leemis@hotmail.co.uk
ILUVLYRICS at the Lyric Lounge
James Black
New Walk Museum - Gallery 6
30th July 2010
The ILUVLYRICS event headlined the first evening of The Lyric Lounge at Leicester’s New Walk Museum. The event was compèred by a talented slam champion Andy Craven Griffiths with the prize of £100 up for grabs to the winner.
ILUVLYRICS boasted a multitude of different performers, a variety of material and a mixture of presentational styles from traditional poetry recitals to Hip-Hop MCing backed by beats or performed a cappella. The entrants were judged by the amount of applause and positive reaction they received from the audience.
A wide variety of subject matter was covered throughout the performances, much of it focusing on the harsh dog-eat-dog nature of modern society. Away from some of the Hip Hop-style posturing important subjects including battles with mental illness; more specifically schizophrenia, self-esteem, knife crime, Islam and the wearing of the Niqāb were explored.
The four finalists in the competition were Mohammad, Twisted Pennies and two younger performers Billy and his cousin Milly.
ILUVLYRICS was won by the Milly who celebrated with a back flip and told of her determination ‘to be the best’.
