8th of January saw Proud Galleries, Camden play host to ‘Shortlist’. A night of musical entertainment from ‘Art It Up’, who are an organisation aimed at “supporting young people develop skills and tackle stereotypes”. The line up included a host of new talent including Ash Catch’em, Lioness and D. Walker. Hosted by Urban Development’s own Shezar, the night was sure to be a hit. Courtney Buck took to the galleries of Camden to explore…

Kicking of the night to a mix of old school vibes was the ever-popular DJ Ballistic. Having been to a number of events with Ballistic as the DJ, it’s safe to say he has his ear to the ground and always knows what’s popular. Around 9pm, and running slightly late, Shezar took to the stage to open the show and introduce the first act, Ash Catch’em. Ash has seen his popularity increase over the last year thanks to the support he’s received from SBTV. Tonight, he performed a number of his songs, including a few with his live band, which added a new twist to his distinctive sound.

Singer/songwriter Chany followed to add a little soul to the evening’s proceedings. Announcing that he’d only be doing one song because “well... y’know... producers can be long”. Alright! The song in question was a cover of 2Pac’s ‘Thugz Mansion’ to which he performed with ease. After performing his cover, the audience encouraged him to perform another song, to which he obliged. I believe it was an original song, (the title has either slipped my mind or he didn’t mention it). In any case, both songs were very well performed.

Taking it back to the hip-hop sounds, F-Jay took to the stage. Having lost friends through the various struggles of urban life, F-Jay’s mantra is “live before you die”. This is very much reflected in his music, in which he speaks of his life and how he’s trying to turn negatives into positives. He was joined by an incredible guitarist and singer, whose name was obscured by the loud music (answers on a postcard, please!) but the pair were very well received by the audience. Definitely a highlight of the night.

Host for the night Shezar took to the stage next, after introducing herself for a second time! Joined by her three backing vocalists (from UD’s own Vocal Collective), Shezar brought the house down with her notorious powerhouse vocals. Included in her set was a cover/refix of TLC’s ‘Creep’, which she managed to turn the usually mid-tempo track to an up-tempo number. Incredible!

Following a ten minute break, singer/songwriter Zaine restarted preceding with her soulful tones. I must admit, I wasn’t totally “wow’ed” by Zaine, but this might be because she had a tough job to follow Shezar in the line up. Still, she did a sound job, and I enjoyed her songs. She was quickly followed by Young Mad B, who used the live band to his advantage, making his music sound all the better with an acoustic element.

Lady of the moment Lioness was the penultimate act of the evening. Flying through a number of her catalogue of tracks, including Set The Girl, Mona Lisa and the UK Female Allstars track ‘Rock The Mic’. Unfortunately, Lioness didn’t get to use the live band on offer, but she was still well appreciated.

The final act of the night was singer D Walker. He performed two covers (Usher’s There Goes My Baby and Jodeci’s Freakin’ U) as well as an original song called ‘Beyonce Songs’. It’s clear that he has talent, but he seemed a little ill-prepared for this event, which was a bit of a sour end to the show. Regardless of the problems, D Walker made the best of the situation.

Overall, the evening was filled with top talent, which once again proves that the UK is full or stars in the making, despite a few hiccups. Shezar, as a host, kept the crowd entertained and her bubbly energy didn’t wilt and as an artist was probably my personal highlight of the evening. Well done to all the acts and the organisers!

WORDS: Courtney Buck 

IMAGES: We Are SME/Urban Development