Ras Tinny - a night to remember


If you're anything like me then you wont really know what dub Reggae is. Now after being to my first Dub Reggae gig, I am still not sure I can do the music justice with words other than to say definitively that I like it.

 So it's Friday night and Central Arts are hosting Ras Tinny, naturally the boyfriend and I are going. With work the next day I can't drink at it ( I have yet to take advantage of the bring your own beer policy they have) but I have come prepared by having a Latte earlier in the day ( let's take a moment to be thankful for my low caffeine tolerance). Everyone is dressed up and there is a promise in the air that it's going to be a good night but still I arrive in my new wooly jumper because damn it's so cosy. I have come notebook in hand, not to write blog notes (which would probably be the smart thing to be doing) but because I am supposed to because of a creative writing course I am doing online which suggests you carry one around in case the urge to write arises. 

 We sit in one of the middle rows because the good couches are already taken and I manage to contain my disappointment at the slightly less comfortable seating. Everything is being set up and the people slowly start to trickle in. Ras is testing the sound and making sure everything's perfect and I am not sure if dreadlocks are his thing or are they just for the awesome dancing that comes later on when we all get a bit of dreadlock energy. As the music begins I start feeling an urge to write poems that will probably never see the light of day but still it feels good to be feeling creative. It's like I am in my own bubble some times. 

 I know this is probably not the best description but to me dub reggae is a reggae beat or song with someone talking over it. I found that between the songs Ras was well spoken and articulate but as soon as the song began all of the words blurred together and I only caught the beat. This isn't really the kind of music you sing a long to. I sat in my chair intermittently scribbling in my notebook or nodding a long to the music just enjoying the general good vibe.

 As the night wears on, more people have arrived and the dance-floor starts to fill with a crowd dancing in time to the Reggae beat almost in sync with each other and it's almost mesmerizing to watch. It's clear even from where I am sitting that everyone is having a great time and its a great experience to be part of. It's another great night at Central arts, I'm already looking forward to the next one.

 also as a little side note. I did write this poem while I was there about my experience.

 Ras
The crowd surges forward,
all moving to the same beat,
not seeking anything more ominous
than dance.

 music vibrates through my seat
and I feel it pulsing 
in my cheek, in my hair.
Somehow I think
I am pulsing too.

 He preaches the religion
of dub reggae,
yet in music
the words melt into each other
and I can only nod as though I understand

 happy to sit on the edge,
watching a throbbing crowd,
dance as if on cue,
wondering if drinking in 
the atmosphere is really a thing.
or if music I can't really describe
should make me this happy,
this upbeat.

 surrendering to the night
that's in it
as this musical odyssey
draws to a close.

 unsure if dub reggae is something
I can really do justice to with mere words
but I can say with clarity that I like it
even if it's just as a woman,
watching,
waiting,
not quite participating  

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