Bristol’s month in World Music – September 2025

As our tropical summer starts to cool off we can happily keep the heat up with sunshine music from around the globe. There’s some sizzling Latin action this month, plenty of African sounds and, of course, a generous helping of reggae, while The Beacon also has a showcase for Özcan Ates (Sun 28), master of the Turkish baglama lute (pictured above), His self-penned songs, accompanied by an acoustic quartet, are a contemporary expression of Turkish and Kurdish traditions.

And let’s start with reggae, because one of the UK’s first and finest roots reggae bands are celebrating 50 years since coming together in Southall in 1975. Misty In Roots (Beacon, Sat 13) were part of the first wave of British reggae artists to firmly establish that the music didn’t only have to come from Jamaica to be real and rootsy. They are supported for the tour by Pama International, a comparatively fresh 25 year-old outfit featuring ex-Special/Fun Boy Three guitarist Lynval Golding. There’s a Downbeat Melody Day Party at Lost Horizon the next afternoon (Sun 14) and new generation reggae singer Joe Yorke’s remarkable falsetto is at Jam Jar (Sat 20). Canteen will be rocking to Golden Guild’s dub-influenced sound (Sat 20) and then welcome Ya Freshness’s skank-friendly ska (Fri 26). There’s an altogether folksier exploration of Caribbean culture at Folk House (Thur 25) when acoustic duo Artuba and writer/poet ‘Doctah’ Edson Burton  come together to make rooted music ‘to make the heart sing’.

You’ll catch reggae flavours in the big sound of Total Hip Replacement & Anyankofo, a brass-heavy collaboration between a Danish and a Ghanaian combo based in Copenhagen (Jam Jar, Sat 13). Their main sound is West African, however, with fine percussion uplifting the grooves. The Jam Jar also have soulful Malian singer/guitarist Samba Touré (Fri 5), one of the most accomplished players to follow from the great Ali Farka Touré. There’ll be hypnotic gnawa grooves at the venue when guembri master Mohamed Errebbaa brings his band Tagna Groove (Fri 12) and that Moroccan sound gets psyched up by Swiss combo Yalla Miku at Canteen (Wed 17). Canteen also hosts the Congolese rhythms and sounds of Kasai Masai (Fri 5). Senegalese singer/songwriter Amadou Diagne comes to The Bell (Wed 17) as do the Afro-Brazilian Da Lata collective (Sat 27).

It’s something of an annual event when the Tango Jazz Quartet pop into the Bell (Mon 15). The Argentinian outfit do just what it says on the can, however, and do it rather well.  Zubieta and the Suaves (plus guests) revisit classic Brazilian Bossa nova (Canteen, Wed 24) and the next night sees James Dorman’s dance-inducing Bossa Soul Collective (Canteen, Thur 25). Over at The Bell, however, there’s K’Chevere (Wed 24), one of the region’s longest established salsa bands and a favourite at the venue, while the impressive Saoco Collective brings together some of Bristol’s top latin players (The Forge, Fri 19). And of course many of those will turn up at the Canteen’s brilliant monthly Latin session (Tue 16).

The Jam Jar does a great job of introducing contemporary artists taking the roots of cumbia and the like into modern dance music territory and this month’s ¡Cumbia, Mi Amor! night (Thur 4) features amazing Bolivian multi-instrumentalist Susobrino’s electro-acoustic live show. Later in the month the venue also sees the Bristol debut of Colombian electronic musician Mitú (Fri 26) and his ‘psychedelic techno from the jungle’ sound. Compelling vocalist Marta Zu fronts the equally psychedelic electro-Cumbia of Xaman X (Canteen, Sat 13) and there’s a visit from Venezuelan nu-soul producer Tomasito Garcia with his band Desensamblados (Canteen, Tue 30). And it’s good to see the monthly VooKoo nights restarting at Southbank with the pan-Latin sounds of Los Costureros.

There are very few Indonesian gamelan groups in the UK, mainly because the music requires a complex assembly of traditional gongs and drums. Bristol-based percussionist Harriet Riley is a fan, however, and is about to spend a year immersed in the gamelan culture of Bali to learn more. Before she goes she’s put together Beat Frequencies (St George’s, Thur 25) a night featuring both traditional gamelan music and contemporary classical pieces inspired by the culture. The evening will feature Bristol’s Adnya Suara gamelan group.