With a pure voice, heartfelt lyrics and catchy tunes, alongside his brilliant band Brook Tate takes us on a very personal journey and shares with us how he grew up as a Jehovah’s Witness.
His childhood included such light reading as the stoning of Stephen to death!
Armed with such knowledge he was sent out into the world to knock on doors and preach to others about the faith he was born into. He was taught that the unrighteous of the world would be destroyed on the day of Armageddon and that he certainly would be if he were to admit that he had feelings for other men.
This was very up close and personal, almost like being in on a counselling session with a delicate soul who had been through so much sadness in his relatively short life.
Brook is so honest and open that you are instantly against anyone who could judge such a soul that is so full of love and then disfellowship him so that his family ‘can’t’ talk to him for fear of what fate would await them.
Many faiths believe that one of the worst things we can do is judge another person and it is certainly not for a group of part time ‘judges’ (elders) to say what form love should take.
After surviving all this madness Brook has moved onwards and upwards (certainly those heels are high!). He has found his voice and boy does he use it well, as he, the whale and his band take the audience from sadness to joyful, via quirky, mad, happy, and humorous.
This show touched me deeply but even if you just go for the fabulous tunes, humour, and incredibly talented musicians you really won’t be disappointed.
…… And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
