Music / Previews
World Music picks of the month: June 2015
There’s a real spread of world music destinations around Bristol this month, as befits the start of the holiday season. Naturally Africa features prominently with blinding double-bill of Afrobeat at the Fleece (Friday 5) featuring Dele Sosimi and No Go Stop. Nigerian keyboard player Dele Sosimi was a long time member of both Fela and Femi Kuti’s bands and whether in a small group or big band he brings an authentic Lagos sound to life. A previous visit to Bristol also saw him paired with Bristol’s Afrobeat monster band No Go Stop, however, and it’s arguable their homegrown adaptation stood up well by comparison, with the Nigerian inviting their horn section up for the latter half of his set. There’s a seam of Afrobeat running through Cardiff-based Afrocluster’s music, too, albeit mixed with jazz-funk, reggae and old-school hip hop into a cool blend you can sample at Canteen (Friday 12). Young South African outfit Zakhele & Friends will bring an all-singing, all-dancing (and all-drumming) show to the Colston Hall (Saturday 27) in support of the Za Foundation charity which supports AIDS orphans and other vulnerable children in their hometown of Nkomazi.
Latin sounds are always big, too, and Plantation are hosting Made In Brazil (Saturday 13) with food, drink and jaunty Gallic-flavoured Brazilian music from Forro Pifado’s band, on tour from their base in France. The following week (Saturday 20) Columbian band leader and vibraphone player Dorance Lorza’s Sexteto Café should be packing the dance floor at Fiddlers hot on the heels of their latest album and fresh from winning Musician of the Year at the 2015 Latin UK Awards. Top salsa DJ Lubi will keep things spinning till the small hours.
As flamenco to Spain so Rebetiko is to Greece, an outsider music of dazzling instrumentals (featuring the bouzouki) and impassioned vocal intensity that has become a pillar of the country’s cultural identity. The Plastikes Karekles collective, based in North London’s bustling Greek community, will be performing perform a range of Rebetiko music as well as Greek folk and arrangements of great Greek composers like Theodorakis at the Folk House (Saturday 20).
The Heritage Blues Orchestra has been compared to the Buena Vista Social Club, a gathering of musical veterans with links to the heyday of blues that include the son of Muddy Waters’ drummer. They’re kicking up the dust at St George’s (Wednesday 3) while comparative whippersnappers The Rev Peyton’s Big Damn Band come to the Tunnels the next day (Thursday 4) with their full-tilt, roof-rattling hooly-blues sound.
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