Staff Benda Bilili Live

15 May 2011 / Roundhouse Main Space

‘Havana cantina, Kinshasa slum, or psychedelic club– this outfit would tear the roof off anywhere.' The Independent

Congolese super-band Staff Benda Bilili return to the UK this May to play a string of special live dates following the nationwide release of feature film Benda Bilili.

Staff Benda Bilili’s inspirational live shows and extraordinary story have caused a stir across the globe. The band name translates as “look beyond appearances” - literally: "put forward what is hidden." A group of paraplegic street musicians who live in and around Kinshasa zoo in the Democratic Republic of Congo, they consider themselves the real journalists of Kinshasa. Their songs document and comment on events relating to their everyday experiences, and resonate with the pulse of Congolese rumba, of Cuban swing and, at times, even of the Godfather Of Soul himself.

The core of the group consists of four singer/guitarists perched on spectacular customised tricycles, backed by an energetic rhythm section, and topped off with the infectious guitar-like sounds of a teenage prodigy, who plays a one-stringed electric lute he designed and built himself out of a tin can.

The band triumphed at the Cannes Film Festival last year with Benda Bilili – a full-length feature film directed by Renaud Barret and Florent de la Tullaye (aka Belle Kinoise). The film has been met with great critical acclaim and is will open in cinemas across Britain on 18 March, distributed by Trinity Films.

The band’s acclaimed debut album Très Très Fort is out now on Crammed.

'Pure adrenalin from start to finish' (Rock 'N Reel)

'The funkiest, grittiest sound yet out of Congo' (Mojo)

 ‘Heart-tugging melodies ride on sweetly ragged vocal harmonies; the rhythm section and guitar work sway between rumba, soul, funk and blues. Extraordinary story, extraordinary music..’ (Independent,  Tim Cummings)

'Real street music that resounds with a lust for life' (Metro)

www.myspace.com/staffbendabilili

plus special guest Fatoumata Diawara 

Tall, superbly poised and elegant, with an iridescent smile, Fatoumata Diawara draws elements of jazz and funk into an exquisitely sparse contemporary folk sound – refracting the rocking rhythms and plaintive melodies of her ancestral Wassoulou tradition through an instinctive pop sensibility. At the centre of the music is Fatou’s warm, affecting voice, spare, rhythmical guitar playing and gorgeously melodic songs that draw powerfully on her own often troubled experience. Born in Côte d’Ivoire, raised in Mali, now based in Paris, and still only 29, Fatou has had a life covering a whole gamut of contemporary African experience: fighting parental opposition to her artistic ambitions and the cultural prejudice faced by women throughout Africa, winning success as an actress in film and theatre, before finding her feet in the medium she was always destined to make her own: music.  Fatou’s presence has lit up recent shows by Africa Express, AfroCubism and Herbie Hancock’s Imagine project.  Her debut album, Fatou, comes out on World Circuit in September 2011.  Her EP Kanou, is released on May 9

Tickets: £15
Doors: 7pm

Roundhouse Exclusive Members Bar: Did you know you can get access to an exclusive bar overlooking the Main Space during the gig? We'll also give you a glass of champagne, a Roundhouse bag and souvenir book. Passes are £20 per person, plus the usual ticket price. Space is limited and advance booking is recommended, so call now on 0844 482 8008, then select the 'general enquiries' option. Please note, the bar is in the Circle towards the side of the stage. You can choose to watch the gig from there (though note, on occasion the view of the stage/artist may be restricted) or from the area your ticket relates to.