VULA VIEL
Flute & Tankard, Cardiff, Tue 26 Mar; The Welfare, Ystradgynlais, Wed 27 Mar
This trio hail from London, but Vula Viel founding member Bex Burch’s musical inspiration is rooted in Ghanaian culture, with their music based around the gyil, a West African xylophone. Accompanied by drums and bass from Jim Hart and Ruth Goller respectively, the band’s distinctive rhythms fashion sound which, along with their enchanting melodies, culminate in both spiritual songs and foot stomping tunes.
Second Vula Viel LP Do Not Be Afraid was released only a few weeks ago, to positive reviews, while the band have performed on lineups including Latitude and The London Jazz Festival. With their Ghanaian-originated name translating as “good is good” (also the title of their 2015 debut album), the band easily live up to that, with none other than Iggy Pop saying of their music: “Dance to it, make love to it, stare at the clouds to it.”
Whilst I would recommend only doing one of these things at their gig, Vula Viel live promises to be a unique and immersive experience unlike anything you’ve seen before. In fact, you have two chances to catch them in south Wales: Cardiff on Tue 26 and Ystradgynlais the day after.
Tickets: £7/£5 NUS (Cardiff); £11/£9 (Ystradgynlais). Info: thefluteandtankard.com (Cardiff); 01639 843163 / thewelfare.co.uk (Ystradgynlais)
words Bethan Goodwin