^{Picture: Sarah Hickson}

Sword-swallower, singer, poet and activist, Livia Kojo Alour presents an hour that showcases her multiple skills and challenges casual and explicit racism. Building towards the sword-swallowing as a striking, visceral metaphor for the violence of oppression, Black Sheep is a passionate yet disciplined attack on bigotry that celebrates the artist’s expression and talents. 

The show’s politics are unfiltered, even handing Black Lives Matter placards to the audience. Familiar songs are repurposed to comment on Alour’s experiences, and her poetry is immediate and lyrical. Without compromising the complexity of either the art or her life, Alour is an engaging performer who easily drives this solo show by force of personality. At times, the structure is ragged, leaping between art forms and measuring out the narrative in episodic and disconnected scenes: thematic consistency, and the intimate and personal stories, maintain the focus even as she changes from roller-skater to chanteuse to fan-dancer. 

Although some concerns are addressed briefly and underdeveloped, it’s the strength of her presence and determination that pull together the remarkably diverse aesthetics from different media. Unashamed of the work’s seriousness, but still able to be playful, Alour astounds with the multiplicity of her talents.

Assembly Rooms, until 27 August, 9pm.