Music / world music
Bristol’s month in World Music – March 2025
It’s not often Bristol has a month with only one ‘proper’ African music night but Gambian kora player Sura Susso (pictured above) bringing his trio to Jam Jar (Fri 21) with support from Zimbabwean singer Cecilia Ndhlovu would seem to be it. Unless, of course, you count ‘Kenyan speed core deity’ Lord Spikeheart, playing at Strange Brew on the same night, or Afro-futurist jazz combo Nubiyan Twist (Trinity, Thur 13). There’s another one-off, genre/tradition-wise, at the Beacon clashing with Sura’s gig – Norway’s pounding theatrical Wardruna who evoke ancient Nordic traditions using stones, bones, drums and chanting as well as traditional instruments like the nykelharpa.
There’s a wide range of South Asian music on offer through three gigs, starting with a South Asian sound system experience. Brown Excellence bring their combination of contemporary DJ sounds with live tabla playing to Trinity (Sat 1) warming up early for a busy summer festival season. Then there’s Indian classical music at The Lantern with Rakesh Chaurasia (Sat 15), acknowledged master player of the wooden bansuri flute in a duo with tabla player Shahbaz Hussain. And finally there’s Bloodywood (O2, Wed 26), a full-on fusion of bhangra, metal and hip-hop straight outta New Delhi …
Heading over towards South America it’s good to see another outing for Jim Blomfield’s Saoca Collective (Bebop Club, Thur 20), a really authentic Latin-jazz/Salsa outfit full of top players. There’s another Cumbia Mi Amor night at Jam Jar (Fri 28) with the brightly coloured French retro-tropical-psych band Passion Coco providing the live music, and the venue also hosts the psych-Latin antics of Los Pirañas (Thur 13). Brazilian-meets-Afrobeat groovers Soma Soma will be at Bristol Jazz Club (The Architect, Wed 5) and The Bell has a very rare UK appearance of Argentinian singer/composer Delfina Cheb (Tue 11). A serious student of Argentinian music, especially tango, her original music is a deeply-rooted contemporary take on the traditional.
is needed now More than ever
One of the first and best reggae bands to arise in the UK, Steel Pulse (Beacon, Thur 13) remain a touchstone for the conscious styles from their 70s origins. Reflecting the ways reggae went on to infuse the punk world and beyond The Skints (SWX, Thur 13) are a generation apart from Steel Pulse – it’s a shame the two gigs are on the same night, as is reggae singer Onika Venus’ appearance at The Fringe. Fortunately none of them clash with the big Ministry of Reggae soundsystem night at Malcolm X with King Tubby’s headlining (Sat 15). There’s a couple of ska-derived nights as well, with the Latin-ska fusion of Eddy Allen and the CCTV AllStars (Canteen, Fri 7) as well as Technicolour Steam Train at SouthBank (Fri 7).
Those Balkan swing rhythms are a great excuse for dancing and Opa Rosa deliver a fine, energetic set of Middle European music (The Bell, Wed 26/Cotham Club, Fri 28). In between those dates there’s a night of Middle Eastern dance and music with acoustic quartet Chai For All joined by dancers Oona La Luna and Arabella, exponents of the raqs sharqi belly dance tradition, in the atmospheric setting of the Mount Without (Thur 27).
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