When poetry and music combine
East London-born duo bring talent back to their home stage
East London-born musician Aston Wylie and local poet Megan Ross will be giving their home town an intimate performance in a joint soireé.
Beautiful Fever will be performed next Friday in a 110seater space at Jemima’s Guesthouse in Gonubie. “It will be a blend of poetry and music like never before,” said Wylie.
“We will be sharing a very select repertoire of original works in which we resonate with each other on occasion and divert at other points.” The Howling, Lullaby and
Good Vibes singer, who won the hearts of SA fans when he appeared on season two of The
Voice SA in 2017, now lives in Cape Town.
Ross, of Gonubie, published her first collection of intimate poems on her experience of motherhood titled Milk Fever in April. The two artists have never collaborated nor done a show of this nature, but are equally excited.
“Megan was a childhood friend of my wife. I recently attended her Milk Fever book launch in Cape Town and I was blown away by her story telling and poetry ability. I briefly pitched my idea of a joint performance and she was interested,” said Wylie, who has been using famous pre-recorded monologues at the start of his performances this year and has been toying with the idea of collaborating with a local poet or author.
“At the end of the day, artistic collaboration is one of the high points of being an artist, and being able to experiment and blend my craft with someone as talented as Aston is a privilege. We both work with rhythm and melody but in completely unique ways.
“In the last couple of years we have seen a global move towards experimentation within individual genres. Only last year musician Bob Dylan won the Nobel Prize for literature. And although that was hotly contested amongst writers, it indicates this kind of universal longing amongst artists and audiences alike, to reassess what it means to be a poet, musician, performer.”
Sharing a love for their small town, both Wylie and Ross hope their experimental performance will resonate with local audiences. “As creatives we often move away to grow so we’re really looking forward to showing East London a uniquely put together performance,” said Wylie.
“I remember being a teen here and longing for something different, something that would stimulate me intellectually and artistically. And so here we are. I’m secretly hoping this acts as a catalyst for similar events in the future,” said Ross.
Tickets cost R80 and bookings can be made by contacting Wylie on 072-711-1373. The show starts at 7.30pm.