Bristol’s month in World Music – November 2025

There’s a great celebration of contemporary South Asian music to sample this month, thanks to Bristol-based Asian Arts Agency. The feast of Latin sounds is pretty generous too and of course there’s plenty of African flavours old and new …

The Asian Arts Agency’s New Sounds Festival kicks off with sitar player Roopa Panesar’s ATMA (St George’s, Sun 2, 4pm), a cross-cultural project combining traditional Indian instruments with double bass, guitar and electronics. Their sound has both deeply traditional and contemporary atmospheres. She’s followed by uber drummer Sarathy Korwar’s Drum Ensemble (St George’s, Sun 2) who performs his imminent album There Is Beauty, There Already. This continuous piece deploys multiple drummers, drum-triggered electronics and human voices in a jazz-style flow, evoking both Terry Riley’s contemporary minimalism and temple processional rituals. The festival continues at The Beacon (Fri 14) with a highly danceable feast of Bhangra Sounds showcasing all-female Dhol collective Eternal Taal, DJ Indian Man and – who else? – Bristol’s very own RSVP. It’s a standing gig, natch, but not for standing still – as will very much be the case for the Panjabi Hit Squad night at Strange Brew (Sat 22).

Things African begin at Canteen (Fri 7) with Gambian singer Ebou Sanyang’s afrobeat band Matuki then moves to the DCR for high energy soukous from Kasai Masai (Jam Jar, Sat 8). There’s a fine treat at Lost Horizon (Mon 10) when Côte d’Ivoire ensemble Sidiki Dembele & Percussion d’Abobo come over from Abidjan to shake the rafters. Veteran Ghanaian High Life star Ata Kak (Jam Jar, Mon 17) has re-emerged after 30 years with hot new album Batakari causing quite a stir and the venue follows that up with Ablaye Cissoko & Cyrille Brotto (Wed 19), a strangely beguiling blend of Ablaye’s Senegalese kora and song with French melodionist Cyrille. There’s danceable afro-global fusion at the Jam Jar, too, with the coming together of Danish instrumentalists Sunbörn and Italian producer Clap!Clap! (Fri 14) for their UK debut. The Jam Jar round off their Afro-packed month with Nigerian Afro-futurist singer Wayne Snow’s electro-hop (Thur 27). Elsewhere you can catch the beautifully-voiced South African jazz and soul singer Sisanda at the 6 O’clock Gin Session on the Glassboat (Fri 14).

There’s not so much reggae happening this month – though the recent awful weather events in Jamaica may well see a number of quickly organised benefit gigs so keep your eyes peeled. The Jam Jar (them again?) have the very British sound of the Dub Princess and her Hotsteppas band (Sat 15), nicely combining a tight roots sound with contemporary British vocals. The ever-mighty Dreadzone come to Electric Bristol (Sat 29) ‘versus’ electro-dance legends The Orb – should be very beaty stuff – and there’s a couple of ska nights at Mr Wolf’s with Sneak Eazies (Sat 15) and Fidget & The Twitchers (Fri 21).

There’s always a slice of cumbia action and once again the Jam Jar has some tasty stuff, starting with Peruvian ‘Cumbia Amazonia’ outfit Los Wemblers de Iquitos (Tue 4), swiftly followed by a Movimiento night (Fri 7) celebrating their 20th year – great work guys! The gig is headlined by Malphino who play a heady mix of Cumbia and Brazilian Forró, making them a great warm-up for the Forró Bristol Party at Docklands the next night (Sat 8). The event features Brazilian accordion player Everton Corone and there’s a dance class to get you started before the concert. The mighty Baila la Cumbia are at Old Market Assembly (Fri 7) with Bristol jazz pianist Jim Blomfield among their ranks.

Jim has been steadily becoming one of the country’s top Latin players, a fact recognised by prestigious Cuban band Asere who co-opted him for recent gigs. Jim’s own SAOCO Collective is a fine assembly of other top Latin/jazz players  playing authentic salsa (FringeJazz, Bristol Music Centre, Wed 26). Jim also appears in Sextet Gringo (The Bell, Mon 17) trumpeter Andy Hague’s lively Latin-jazz combo. New acoustic trio Babia are at Canteen (Wed 12) – they bring Latin and Flamenco roots together, and Canteen also has their Latin Descarga Session (Tue 18) which has a great atmosphere and a very high standard of Latin music.

Effervescent singer and cellist Ana Carla Maza (Lost Horizon, Sun 2) is being hailed as the voice of new Cuban music with a reputation for charismatic stage performances. She apparently was taught by Chucho Valdes as a child – ‘nuff said. By contrast , the schtick of super-cool French combo Nouvelle Vague (Trinity, Thur 20) is to take new wave hits like Love Will Tear Us Apart and render them in a low-key Bossa Nova style. And if that Brazilian groove is your thing then Zubieta & The Suaves + guests (Canteen, Wed 26) should tickle your fancy.

The Dynamics (Jam Jar, Fri 28) are another French outfit re-fashioning the familiar, in their case -somewhat like the Easy Star All Stars – reggae-fying them into easy stepping grooves. Earlier that day the Eastern Strings Accordion Trio are at St George’s with a jazzy mix of milonga, tangos and Middle Eastern musics. St George’s also has a top flamenco song and dance night with Daniel Martinez Flamenco Company (Tue 25). More  Middle Eastern grooves, albeit psyched up, come from Anatolian ‘Sax Power’ trio Yasak Helva (Jam Jar, Wed 12), while things Balkan inform the Magic Violin Trio (The Bell, Sun 23). The Bell also has a Cajun night with the always entertaining Joli Blon (Sun 2).