Manchester’s famous Band on the Wall venue has built its reputation on hosting the world’s musical visionaries and March sees celebrated purveyors of Afrobeat taking centre stage on back-to-back Sundays.
Suen Kuti & The Egypt 80
The youngest offspring of Fela’s rhythmic dynasty, Seun Kuti assumed the central role as lead singer in his father’s backing band, Egypt 80, at the age of 14 to continue the Kuti family union with Afrobeat. As a unit they’re steeped not only in history but in an unrelenting passion for both the music and counter-cultural politics of Nigeria.
Sun 19 Mar, 7.30pm, £17.50-£22, www.bandonthewall.org
Tony Allen
The Afrobeat defining drummer has musical collaboration running through his veins and for his latest project is re-imagining the influential polyrhythmic percussion of the late jazz sticksman Art Blakey. It means this tour will be like stepping into the heartbeat of the 1940s and 1950s US jazz scene, and coincides with an EP of this new material via seminal jazz label Blue Note. DJ Sno is on hand to warm up the dancefloor for a night of unparalleled grooves.
Sun 26 Mar, 7.30pm, £20-£25, www.bandonthewall.org
Band on the Wall, 25 Swan Street, Northern Quarter, Manchester, M4 5JZ, Tel: 0161 834 1786, www.bandonthewall.org
- Words:
- Ian Pennington
- Published on:
- Mon 20 Mar 2017
