In Dublin’s lively venue, Daylight, the prior month witnessed 7of9, a band comprising of Lizzie Fitzpatrick (of Bitch Falcon, Coolgirl fame) and Osaro Azams, electrify the stage at Flinta*Fest – an event dedicated to celebrating female and queer punk music representation. “It was an absolute blast,” Azams recounts as we convene at Mind the Step, a trendy late-night establishment located in proximity to Dublin’s Millennium footbridge. Azams is partial to intimate, pulsating performances where the distance between the audience and performer dissipates. It reinstates memories from time spent in a church. “Everything was always so personal – the musicians, drenched in sweat, the collective chanting led by the Methodist – it’s a vibe I find immensely invigorating,” states Azams.
Azams, a multi-faceted artist known for poetry, singing, performance and creation, also initiated the Fried Plantains Collective and plays a pivotal role as a producer for the infamous Black Jam party nights. 7of9 is merely the next intriguing evolution in Azams’ artistic journey, marrying ingenious electronic tones and rhythms. Their first taste of the limelight was in 2022. Azams fondly recalls proposing a unique musical collaboration to Lizzie, which materialised into their first-ever performance.
Their initial experiment was an exploration of one of Azams’s poems, titled ‘Seagull’ – bringing to life an odd but exciting amalgamation of The Prodigy and Robert Frost influences. Azams describes it as a rant about seagulls seeming to own Dublin, reflecting on the city’s underlying monotony and the human-induced changes leading to their fish supply’s depletion.
Azams vividly recollects the first post-performance high as taking place at Squat City, in Grangegorman, “many moons ago.” The event, dubbed ‘Words in the Warehouse,’ was organised by Niamh Beirne of the spoken-word collective Pettycash, along with other companions. The aesthetic blend of squatters and theatrical talents made for a vibrant evening. “Regardless of its transience, that gathering fostered an undeniable sense of community,” reminisces Azams.
Summoning the recollections of that certain evening, Azams delves into the inception of a work born from a tale of Yoruba origin. The atmosphere shimmered with hues of sunset, a dusk kissed by amber. Within an expansive indoor amphitheatre, the story began to unfold. Yemoja, seated within an almost barren rock was introduced. In her form as a bifurcated mermaid, she revealed the oceans and rivers known today as her tail diverged.
As the waters gushed forth, so did her offspring, which essentially represents humanity. The reference ‘yeye omo eja’, translated as ‘the mother of the fish children’, was an allegoric nod to our origins from her. It was this narrative of the submerged deity, Azams reveals, that she commenced her story. Her contemplation concluded on an upbeat note, signifying the dawn of their existence.
The content Azams curates undeniably has a unique vibrancy. The essence of an exceptional curator involves attending a variety of performances and embracing the encountered experiences with fervour. Despite frequently expressing her frustrations with Dublin, she welcomes the chance to explore her cultural horizons when invited out.
Fried Plantains came into existence in 2016, sprouting from the Black Jam. It represents not just artistic creation through writing and singing, but a cradle for communities. The inaugural project was hosted at a now-closed bar on Capel Street, showcasing Born in Flames, a mashup of 1980s lesbian sci-fi.
Azams initiated the Black Jam music display at Fibber Magees, a rock pub in the heart of Dublin city. A fan of both black punk and R&B, Azams aspired to create an environment that respected these two diverse types of music. As such, they teamed up with local artists and bands such as Blackfish Collective, Bob Vylan, Niamh and Helen from Spooky Beore, and Rhythm Africana. Blackfish Collective, a team from Balbriggan, was known to fuse aggressive punk with R&B, while Bob Vylan represented black punk in the London scene.
Following this, Azams began showcasing their work at the Dublin Fringe Festival and Live Collision festival. They even ventured into audio visual arts with their project, “Obsidian Black”, which looked into the experience of solitude and seclusion during the pandemic period. In 2022, Azams got the opportunity to be an artist-in-residence at the Irish Cultural Centre in Paris. This opportunity extended into the following year as well, when the centre transformed into ‘Jam Noir: Intime’, presented by Black Jam in co-operation with the Romilly Walton Masters Award for Experimental Performance, which Azams had previously received in 2021.
Now, Azams continues to trail blaze on a versatile creative course. They are currently set to perform at the Open Ear Festival on Sherkin Island, over the June Bank holiday weekend. In spite of routinely applying for conventional roles, every rejection they receive is met with an affirmation for yet another creative project. Be it a residency, a commission, an acting gig, or a Super8 project, everything always circles back to their passion for the arts. There was a time when Azams felt guilty, believing that they should be pursuing a ‘standard’ job. However, with their recent strides in the creative field, they’ve come to acknowledge that pursuing their passion is where they truly wish to be.