Music / world music
Bristol’s month in world music – December 2025
OK – we’ve nearly shaken off 2025 but there’s still plenty of world-grooving time before that midnight bell… Talking of which you could find yourself in the 16 reliably party-starting hands of Baila la Cumbia at their Latin-loving New Year’s Eve Party at Bocabar (Finzel’s Reach, Wed 31 – obvs!). If contemporary Afro-grooves is your preferred year-ending option, the Chai Wallahs NYE party at Trinity featuring K.O.G., Jamu and CONN3CT could be the place to be. Or if you’d rather go for some old-school ska the Emperials are down at the Thunderbolt. And it’s not just the year that’s ending this month: after twenty years in the band drummer John Blakeley is finally moving on from ‘original jumping European folk’ band Sheelanagig (pictured above) to pursue his myriad other projects, not least the Ear Trumpet promotion agency. He plays his last gig with the band at The Lantern (Sat 13).
But first – respect is always due to The Wailers (O2 Academy, Thur 4) for their faithfulness to the original spirit of Bob Marley’s music and values. It’s been fifty years since Tuff Gong’s sound revolutionised the profile of reggae music and, sadly, over forty years since he passed away but the freshness and relevance of the music remains irresistible. There’s no doubt contemporary reggae star Sam Garrett (Tue 2, Electric Bristol) would echo that sentiment, and probably all the other Caribbean-inspired acts this month, especially Ya Freshness who pop up twice (The Bell, Mon 22/Canteen, Sat 27). It’s a little unfortunate that fellow ska merchants Itinerants (Thunderbolt) and Technicolour Steam Train (Mr Wolf’s) have gigs on the same night as the Wailers however.
You could well catch a few members of Baila la Cumbia at the Jam Jar for Son Rompe Pera (Thur 11), the marimba-driven Mexican Cumbia mash-up band, famed for their audience rousing live shows. The same venue has the more eclecticLatin/Afro/jazz Da Lata (Sat 6) while The Bell welcomes the authentic salsa sounds of Andy Hague’s Sextet Gringo (Wed 10). ‘Tropical bass’ purveyors Xaman X bring their electronic take on contemporary Latin sounds to Canteen (Sat 13) and old-school bossa specialists Zubieta & The Suaves lead a party night at Old Market Assembly (Fri 19).
London rapper Fedzilla’s fearless fusion of ragga, cumbia and dancehall beats is one of the live treats at Rhythms of Resistance (Strange Brew, Wed 17). It’s a night of music fundraising for Bristol Apartheid Free Zone, a Palestine-solidarity organisation, that also features Egyptian oud-player Tarek Elazhary and DJ Yusuf Suavé. The Cotham Club welcomes the Bristol Dovetail Orchestra (Cotham Parish Church, Fri 19), the excellent cross-cultural collaboration of amateur and professional musicians representing a wide range of Bristol’s refugee communities. The Bristol Afro-Cuban Collective (St Werburghs Community Centre, Sat 6) is a similar collaboration, albeit primarily choral with percussion. Their repertoire covers songs ‘from Afro-Cuban folkloric traditions’.
Few people might expect a Lebanese band to bring Krautrock and drone/noise elements into their sound alongside Egyptian and Arabic roots and poetry but Beirut-based SANAM (Strange Brew, Wed 3) make a fine synthesis from a wide range of inspirations. Afro-latin fusioneers Soma Soma are at Old Market Assembly (Fri 12) and more conventional African roots underpin the Afriquoi sound (Jam Jar, Sat 13) albeit ramped up-to-date with contemporary attitude. Finally, Michael Mwenso and his 10-piece band The Shakes promise an Afrofuturistic Winter Wonderland when they bring their Funky Soulful Christmas to St George’s (Tue 16).
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