Bluestone Brewing Company, Newport, Pembrokeshire
Sun 27 Aug
62 year old soukous god Kanda Bongo Man has been around a bit, from the Congo to Manchester, and on August Bank Holiday Sunday him, his wide-brimmed hat, and his band are getting their kwassa kwassa on in North Pembrokeshire.
John Peel first inspired me to buy a bit of Bongo Man, tracking down Zing Zong on LP in Spillers back in 1991. By then he already had seven albums under his belt, and has now racked up around 16 long players. For the uninitiated, Congolese soukous was especially big in the mid-to-late 80s and is like an even more joyous version of African highlife. Kanda Bongo Man is one of its prime exponents, with his innovations in the genre of moving the elliptical and irresistable guitar lines around the song structure, and birthing the kwassa kwassa dance move of moving your hips back and forth, followed by your hands. Yep, this is the same kwassa kwassa that has influenced a whole generation of indie bands like Vampire Weekend, and has even found its way into the mainstream – heck, even Coldplay are getting in on the act with the guitar solo in Adventure Of A Lifetime.
So, if you fancy seeing a bit of sunshine music in August, check out KBM songs like Liza and Monie, dig out a measly tenner and lock your hips into the groove.
Tickets: £10. Info: [email protected] (CS)