Philippa Hanna - A review

Categories: uncategorized

Date: 20 February 2010 23:03:42

Went to a Philippa Hanna gig this evening. For those not familiar she's a singer who plays the evo sub-culture scene and is one of the candidates for the slot Delirious vaccated when they split earlier in the year. (For the contenders see The Ultimate Event line up).  Anyway I digress. Arrived a little late and so half way through a set by a quirky bloke called Roo who was part of Philippa's backing band. He was interesting, in a sweet kind of way.

Then she took the stage in a sweet spotty dress, thick black tights and some gorgeous black shoes with diamonte buckles on, oh and a mop of platinum blonde straightened hair. This was Third Party's type of gig obviously, and she and her friends seemed to be enjoying. Now what the singer made of the audience I wasn't quite sure she isn't I guess used to playing a gig where the few teenagers in the audience would take the average age down to somewhere in the 60's. To explain here. The gig was taking place in a church, and the older people, bless them, had supported the event in their droves so it didn't make a loss. As for the young people they were largely missing. There were a few, well 7 teenagers (including a youth worker) and a few peeps in their twenties (including another youth worker and family), but basically this event intended to attract youth hadn't pulled it off. All credit to the church for trying though.

Anyway, she ploughed on through with a sweet little set. There was a kind of jazz influence in places but largely it was inoffensive pop, of the kind which the Christian world likes. I suspect she will end up spending alot of time in the States playing the Christian music scene there and gather a sub-cultural following of teenagers and youth leaders over here. Within the set she did a couple of solo bits with her guitar, including a cover of Time After Time which TOH liked, but I felt needed rocking up a bit. Basically, this was Pop Idol/ X Factor type music.

In between songs she gave her testimony in the style of an overactive Barbie Doll. Now that's not knocking the testimony or the person who gave it, I'm sure it really was amazing, (although you would have had to buy the autobiography to discover what really was so amazing about her testimony - a real lack of detail going on verbally). More importantly though within her set she was promoting the work of Compassion, an organisation I have time for. Within their work Compassion had sent her to Haiti about 6 weeks prior to the earthquake and this was clearly a moving experience for her, particularly when the disaster struck and she associate it with real people she'd met. Anyway as a result she has produced a single for Haiti which is available to download from 7th March, she showed the video during the show. Now, I have to admit it's a good song in aid of a good cause but I felt uncomfortable. The video has a shot of her for every shot of Haiti and whilst she does want to raise money for the disaster appeal there was a real sense that there was an awareness this is no bad thing for her career either.

So all in all not a bad gig. I've become more chilled about the evo sub-culture since I've been out of it I think, and this was almost like a bit of Greenbelt in winter - bearing in mind there is that side to Greenbelt amid the more alternative and secular stuff. I think, in all honesty that there was a bit too much of the Jesus makes it all come right going on, when in reality it's more like Jesus makes wading through the kak easier because you're not alone. However, this was a passionate young women sharing her faith through a gift God has given her and that should never be knocked, rather acknowledged and supported.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtfW_0JVgf0[/youtube]