Artist Announcments- Dathliad Cymru-Affrica Festival
We are so excited to share with you our second band announcement for Dathliad Cymru-Affrica – BCUC: Bantu Continua Uhuru Consciousness. An indigenous funk, hiphop consciousness, and punk rock energy group from Soweto, South Africa.
BCUC sees its music as a hedonistic trance, but also as a weapon of political and spiritual liberation. The seven-piece band has been mesmerising audiences both locally and globally with its high-energy performances that have fast made it one of South Africa’s most successful musical exports. Artistic heirs to Philip “Malombo” Tabane and Batsumi, they give contemporary voice to the ancestral traditions of indigenous peoples. Jazz sounds of 1970s and 80s productions replaced by hip-hop influences and punk-rock energy, taking the listener on an intriguing epic journey, sharing their controversial yet interesting views on modern Africa. BCUC taps into the elusiveness of the spirit world of ancestors by which they are inspired. The Africa portrayed by BCUC is not poor, but rich in tradition, rituals and beliefs.
“We bring fun and emo-indigenous Afro psychedelic fire from the hood,” says vocalist Kgomotso Mokone.
They have collaborated with legends such as Femi Anikulapo-Kuti and Saul Williams and received rave reviews:
“without a doubt the best live act I saw”- Gilles Peterson, Glastonbury 2019
“guaranteed to touch untapped corners of your soul” – OkayAfrica
Listen here:
NOTE: They will only be performing at Neuadd Ogwen, Bethesda, on 1st June!
It would of course make no sense to be organising a celebration of Africa in Wales without having the great Cardiff based Afro Cluster join us! They will perform in both Bethesda and Cardiff!
Afro Cluster is a Cardiff-born collective inspired by the legacy of West-African funk/Afrobeat and golden age Hip-Hop. The creative ethos behind their work is to instigate love and hope in an increasingly hostile world. Across their catalogue you will hear strong rhythms and jazzy refrains emboldened by motivational lyrics penned and delivered by emcee Skunkadelic. They’ve been well received on the road at prime festival slots in the UK including Glastonbury, WOMAD, Green Man, Boomtown and Wilderness.
“They’re excellent proof that the best music exists between and beyond genre boundaries and national borders and are reputed as being one of the finest live bands in Wales.” – BBC Horizons
