London's Newest Dance Sensation is about to be born: who needs lasers? Reach For The Bunting! Featuring some of the best dance bands in London alongside the simply radical CLF - a night of complete sweat-busting abandon in the glorious town hall!
Breaking down ceilidh conventions, the Ceilidh Liberation Front will be bringing their wildest of subverted dances and party tunes to fling you across the dance floor, into the bar and back on your feet again. Expect carnival recklessness, festival shamelessness and all within Islington Town Hall: one of the finest new rooms (and sound systems) in London. Bring your pumps, bring your mates and we'll see you there.
Alongside the Ceilidh Liberation Front we will feature these incredible bands for further vigorous behaviour.
25 February
A J Holmes & The Hackney Empire
Born in Barking & Dagenham in the industrial far east of London, A.J. Holmes discovered a love of playing African music through a chance meeting with his Hackney neighbour. Folo Graff, a legendary musician from Sierra Leone, taught him to play the pan African guitar styles. While in Berlin A.J. met Les Beaux Gosses de Berlin, one of the Congo's finest African Rhumba bands, who quickly grabbed him to join their 20-strong band. Learning to rock the Afropop guitar style, A.J. became obsessed with the good time sounds of Sierra Leone and the Congo.
Back in his native London he started DJing, soon teaming up with white-hot electro producer duo, Radioclit (M.I.A., The Very Best, Amadou & Mariam). United by their love of African club music and worldwide Ghetto tropical beats, he joined the Secousse Sound System DJ team. Since its birth in 2007, the Secousse club night has become an infamous tropical riot of good times and air horns reviving London’s tired and lifeless club scene. Recruiting a party starting band of Hackney locals all sharing a love of tropical sounds, the success of A.J.’s early shows saw him invited by Radioclit to become Secousse club’s resident house band. Once there, the ensuing chaos on the dance floor left no ass unshaken and month after month saw guests blown off stage.
The band’s special blend of Afropop with a home grown British sensibility has become one of London’s best-kept secrets until now. Support slots with David Byrne have followed along with collaborations with some of London’s finest African musicians from Palm Wine legend, Abdul Tee-Jay to Nigerian grime star, Afrikan Boy. Their single debut ‘Fraudian Slip’, produced by Radioclit release on Ghetto Bassquake, the acclaimed tropical dance music blog , was released Sep 2010.
7 April
We Were Evergreen
“Like the Michael Cera of the French music world; a little bit nerdy, a little bit awkward, but still geeky-cool.” - The Fly
They blew us away at Wilderness festival performing on the London Folk Guild stage, and now We Were Evergreen will be powering your dancing in April's Reach For The Bunting. A trio of talented multi-instrumentalists who add synths, ukes, guitars, drums, trumpets, glocks and percussion to super-crisp three-part harmonies. An utterly joyous live experience (as the dancing crowds at 2011's festivals can attest).
12 May
Krar Collective
Ethiopian desert band in the same vein as Group Doueh, the Krar Collective bring you dynamic sounds from different parts of Ethiopia and tribal traditions with a contemporary edge.
Krar is the Ethiopian 5 or 6 stringed harp. KRAR COLLECTIVE are led by Temesegen Tareken, a former pupil of veteran Ethiopian vibraphone player Mulatu Astatke, on Krar, with drums, and singer Genet Asefa and drummer Amare. They are sometimes joined by other musicians, singers and full dance show with 4 dancers.
"I never expected to find this Ethiopian music gem hidden…the right balance between the rawness of their roots and the subtleties of their innovative spirit…I was really impressed." Andy Morgan, manager of Tinariwen
Reach For The Bunting
Saturday 25 February, Saturday 7 April, Saturday 12 May 2012
7.30pm, tickets £12 from www.thenestcollective.co.uk
Islington Town Hall, Upper Street, London N1 2UD
Published on 13 February 2012 by Ben Robinson
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