Ariya Astrobeat Arkestra at Matt & Phred’s

Ariya Astrobeat Arkestra formed like an afrobeat Voltron out of Leeds’ late night sessions a few years back, incorporating musicians from both producer Kidkanevil‘s live show and rapper Testament’s outfit Homecut. Their debut album was met with rapture from the likes of Jamie Cullum, who made it one of his BBC Radio 2 albums of the year. This Manchester date is part of their tour in support of new work Towards Other Worlds, recently released by powerhouse First Word Records and premiered on Gilles Peterson’ 6Music show. Ariya’s appeal lies in their melange of styles – bandleader Pete Williams leads a furious blend of Sun Ra-style space jazz and Fela Kuti-inspired rhythms – which never fail to get a venue jumping. The normally serene Matt & Phred’s (which they sold out last time) will be raucous.

Sat 26 Jan, Matt & Phred’s, 64 Tib Street, M4 1LW, Tel: 0161 839 7187 (before 6pm), 0161 831 7002 (after 6pm), 9.30pm – 1.00am, £5, www.mattandphreds.com

Thanks to www.groovement.co.uk