LEGENDARY BAND ‘AGBEKO’ PLAY LOCO CLUB (VALENCIA) ON 13 OCTOBER! (EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW)

‘Agbeko’ dazzle with their dizzying mix of Afrobeat, Psych-rock, Ethio-jazz and protest songs. With their irresistible rhythms, the energy of their wind instruments, and their powerful lyrics, Agbeko’s songs aim at denouncing social injustices and encourage change towards a better society. Combining indignation with joy and with influences ranging from Fela Kuti and Mulatu Astatke to Led Zeppelin and Woody Guthrie, Agbeko is “a force of nature, with a message, discernment and a constant ability to blow up the dancefloor” (Groovement). ‘Agbeko’ has launched into the post-pandemic world armed with a new album, ‘There Must Be Another Way’ (2023). Do not miss this very special show in Valencia! It promises to be a great concert!

’24/7 VALENCIA’ EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH ‘AGBEKO’:

1. **Please could you tell us about your latest album, ‘There Must Be Another Way’?**

Absolutely! For us we’re thilled because the new album captures perfectly what the band is about and all of the influences we try to show when we play. It’s a concoction of influences from afrobeat greats like Ebo Taylor and Fela Kuti, but also with plenty of room for our upbring on Led Zeppelin and protest singers like Woody Guthrie and Billy Bragg.

2. What can expect of your show in Valencia at ‘Loco Club’?

So, if you’ve never been to a live afrobeat gig before it really is like nothing else. There is simply no standing still. With 3 unstoppable percussionists, a full rhythm section, blistering horns and 2 amazing vocalists: magic happens… you just have to dance. When we play the music live it really creates a feeling of togetherness in the room, both between the band and the audience – there’s lots of dancing and singing along but also because we all improvise solos on stage, it feels as fun for the band to hear one another come out with cool ideas for the first time, too. What can you expect at the ‘Loco Club’? Nothing short than an assault on your musical senses, 2 hours of afrobeat fusion that you will not forget anytime soon.

3. Could you tell us a bit about each member of the band?

This is a long answer because the band is huge. You’ve got Jamie Stockbridge, composer, saxophonist extraordinaire. He writes all of these tunes, none of us would be here without him. We have our vocalists Mali Hayes and Amber Kuti! These two powerhouse vocalists bring their expertise in Neo-soul, gospel RnB and bring it to this afrobeat sound with an unmatched professionalism and flair. Our horn section is made up of Jamie on tenor sax, but also Emily Burkhardt, Graham South and James Keirle. This polyglot bunch play everything from jazz to classical and contemporary music all around the world and together they sound like some sort of unholy organ of doom in these melodies.

In the rhythm section we have competition winning classical, jazz and afrobeat guitarist James Girling – renowned recently for winning a guitar and flute competition in Borriana. On bass we have John Pope whose own quintet in Scotland has received critical delight, it’s an honour to have him with us. Then there’s Max O’hara on keys. Also a choral conductor, his command of the piano and organ in the afrobeat sphere is nothing short of supernatural. Finally, the percussion section where we have Jonathan Needham on kit, and Matt Brown and Peter Mitchell on percussion. Without these three, nothing happens. The percussive engine room of Agbeko runs hot! This is a supergroup with each member running a host of their own projects, but we simply have to come together to play this incredible music.

4. What are your plans?

Well, we’re super excited to be in Spain for the first time! We’re certainly hoping to come back next year. We’ve already recorded a brand new album, and we’ll be playing some of it live for the first time when we’re in Valencia. So, once that album comes out we’ll be hitting the road and playing to as many new people as possible! We’re also looking forward to returning to our home town next week to open the Womex Music Showcase in Manchester. It’s an honour, and it’ll be really cool to see lots of other exciting bands bring the noise to a city we love.