Calypso magic has fire aplenty

Review
Dirty Jim's Swizzle Shop
The Barbican

Sam Jones

MY parents came from Trinidad, so the Mighty Sparrow and Calypso Rose (along with the late, great Lord Kitchener) were all over my childhood.
There is even a much told family legend, that on hearing Rose’s racy 1965 hit Fire Fire as a baby, whose chorus is ‘Fire fire in your wire wire’ I adapted it to the perfectly rounded “Fire fire into your wire wire”.
Hearing this song again at the Barbican with Rose’s high energy charismatic style, was moving and exciting.
Rose has had so many hits over the years she could have held the stage all night: The Bicycle, Take Yuh Time, Her Majesty and of course her road march triumph Come Leh We Jam.
Unfortunately after an enlivening start to her set, she handed over quickly to Sparrow.
Sparrow’s voice has hardly changed at all in over 50 years of producing original, witty and incisive calypso.
Again he could have stayed on stage all night and he gave us a good selection: Congo Man, Sa Sa Ye, Jean and Dinah.
There is a long list of great calypsos that he didn’t sing.
I’ve been privileged to see Sparrow live three times and, although he’s abandoned the Elvis like panache of his hideaway shows he is still a commanding performer.
The evening was compered by Lord Relator who is a tall thin black Bruce Forsyth with a ready line in jokes.
Old-style calypsonian Lord Superior provided a taste of the deeply traditional.
I really enjoyed this night, but it all ended far too quickly.

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