Following their sold-out set as part of our reopening season last Spring, Ibibio Sound Machine return to Band on the Wall on Friday 26th May as part of Manchester Jazz Festival.
Fronted by Nigerian singer Eno Williams, this incredible, energetic band crosses all boundaries. Their sound is a unique clash of African and electronic elements, inspired in equal measure by the golden era of West-African funk and disco and modern post-punk and electro.
Ibibio Sound Machine were founded by Eno Williams and Max Grunhard in 2013 with the idea of combining the unique sound of the Ibibio language that Eno spoke growing up in Nigeria, with both traditional West African and more modern electronic musical elements. They linked up with Merge Records in 2017 for Uyai and returned with Doko Mien in 2019 and have gone on to win global critical acclaim. We’ve been huge fans of them since day one —and we can’t wait to welcome them back to our stage for a huge Friday night bash!
But don’t just take our word for it…
“Western pop fans will hear echoes of Michael Jackson, James Brown, Gary Numan, Prince, Talking Heads and, yes, Miami Sound Machine; African music devotees will recognize threads of juju and Afrobeat from Nigeria, high life from Ghana and makossa from Cameroon.” — New York Times
“West African funk, disco, post-punk and electro-pop collide in the music of Ibibio Sound Machine.” —NPR
“A groove-driven melange of styles which also takes in gospel, funk, post- and electro-punk and contemporary R&B, alongside African polyrhythms, horns and guitar” — The Guardian
“Led by singer Eno Williams, Uyai becomes a wildly diverse mix of global sounds whose focus this time has turned to themes of liberation, power, and beauty—specifically that of women.” —Pitchfork
A standing show. On sale 10am 3rd March.
Bar open: 5.00pmArtists on stage: 7.30pm
Curfew: 10.00pm
Stage: The Venue
