By Elijah Macbean
I am the British chicken tikka masala,
The Pakistani fish and chips.
David Tennant in a kufi.
Imran Khan in a kilt.
I’m a James Saddique,
A Muhammad Smith.
Watching Hollywood on Eid,
Bollywood on Christmas.
I’m bridging the gap,
Blurring the lines.
Existing as a protest,
I’m in the middle of the picket being pulled at both sides,
Refusing to move.
Refusing to pick sides.
It’s not Jekyll and Hyde,
It’s Adam and Ibrahim.
I’m Elijah from the Bible,
I’m Elijah from the Qu’ran.
I get on the bus when they tell me to go home,
No airport security necessary.
I’m the olive coloured olive branch,
An open-faced kid.
With two cultures on my back,
Fighting for my preference,
A love triangle.
I’m polyamorous in this regard,
Practising disregard
for your mono.
I’m a protest vote,
The gentrification and immigration.
Sarfaraz Ahmed with three lions on his shirt.
Wayne Rooney in a shalwar kameez.
Tommy Robinson’s nightmare,
Sadiq Khan’s dream.
I am multiculturalism.
I am both.
I am neither.
Featured image: Mexican Pets, Nobody’s Working Title – Blunt Records Pinning down a genre as sprawling as indie-rock is as futile as painting your living room with gravy instead of emulsion. However, we can at least set some boundaries. We can drill down through layers of subgenres and microgenres, but ultimately, a broad definition of…
Punk Rock Factory have gained a growing following over the years for their punky covers of well-known Disney songs. The lovingly named ‘Sausage Army’ turn up en-masse, clad in Motörhead and Ramones merch for a night of silly, classic rock and roll. Bringing the pop back to the punk, Bronnie brings the warm-up stretches in…
Featured image: Jackie Lee Young / Shorefire Media Houston trio, Khruangbin, headed to the Apollo on Monday to play a double set, starting with running through their latest, more stripped-back album A La Sala in full. From the first hum of Mark Speer’s guitar, the swarming audience prepared to be baptised with a night of…
Featured image: Sonic PR Ahead of their three-night residency at the Apollo in December, music journalist Leah Small takes a look at the evolution of IDLES across their five studio albums. With fists raised and a rambunctious energy like no other, self-proclaimed ‘angry’ ensemble IDLES burst forth from Bristol in 2009, possessing a raw and…
Leave a reply