A breath of fresh air

I'm just back from Creation Fest UK, where I've enjoyed five days of listening to music from dozens of Christian artists.... and what's more, the entire festival was free!

Held at the Royal Cornwall Showground in Wadebridge, the festival site looks out on stunning views across the Cornish countryside. It's a great venue, because no matter the weather (and we had a mixed bag) the concrete roads and permanent buildings are unaffected by the elements.  The Big Shed, which has a capacity of around 3700 was the venue for the MainStage and joined onto the exhibition/vendor section with a large cafe and arts area.

Many of the bands and artists performing at Creation Fest 2018 were new, but some who graced the MainStage have already made their mark on the mainstream music scene. A quick glance at the festival website shows the list of mainly British and US musicians, including Philippa Hanna, Wildwood Kin and Flight Brigade (all of whom I interviewed and who will feature in upcoming posts).

One of my highlights of the week was Guvna B (pictured above), a rapper from East London. He stormed the stage dramatically, connecting with the crowd from the outset. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen any artist work his audience the way Guvna B was able to with his stage presence. He's an impressive wordsmith too. His words dynamically weave between rock steady urban beats while his crew is busy remixing sacred music and mainstream tracks alike. The resulting soundscape surprises and delights,  carrying you along. You feel the sledgehammer bass inside your chest as you travel with him in his personal narratives of urban life, darkness and light, despair, inspiration and salvation.


Guvna B has released four independent albums to date, the most recent of which is entitled Hands are Made for Working (See the video above). He has won two MOBO Awards and numerous other honours from the music industry, and looks set to establish himself as a major artist in the mainstream music community over the next few years. His Wikipedia page quotes him as saying: "My upbringing helped me find my faith in Jesus. The negative things I saw in my society inspired me to do better and inspire people to be the best they can be instead of becoming stereotypical products of a negative environment."

His message is as refreshing as his Christian ethos. Guvna B is a breath of fresh air, standing out like a rock in a troubled genre that is notorious for its gangster culture, violence and offensive language. Check him out and listen to his lyrics - they will give you a new perspective on rap.

Photo credit: Steve Wheeler

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