Melingo on the road

Argentinian punk tango poet, Melingo, and his band Ramones del Tango, arrive in the UK tomorrow to start their first ever tour to the regions. Coming to a venue near you? Check out the tour dates.

What the audience said: Krar Collective

Get to see this band if you can! They are brilliant - and don't forget your dancing feet - they had the whole audience up and dancing at The Sage Gateshead on Sunday night.

We had a brilliant time last night. Come back to York soon!

Wonderful night in Bristol tonight. Thank you all.

It was an amazing transformation: 8 PM a grumpy group of people whinge-ing for seats, 10 PM the venue alive with movement, dance and music.

The instrumentation might be minimal, however the sound is anything but.  (...) trance-like, quivering and intense.

Loving @KrarCollective @mac_birmingham tonight. So hot!

Thankyou all so much for such a wonderful night out... I hope you can come back again soon!!! :)

Fantastic show by Krar Collective last night.

Brilliant gig at the Sage tonight, you have so much energy!! Thank you, and enjoy the rest of your tour :)

Live Review: Krar Collective at RichMix

By Julia Morris

Kicking off their Making Tracks tour in a whirlwind of Ethiopian song, krar grooves and fantastical dance moves, Krar Collective swept us up into an Addis-soaked night far removed from the streets of East London’s Rich Mix. Led by krar wizard Temesgen Taraken, former star pupil of Ethio-jazz legend Mulatu Astatke, this special album launch show saw the normal trio of krar, vocals and percussion expanded into a lineup that also featured saxophone, bass krar, dancers and guest vocalist.

After a haunting opening ballad from singer Genet Assefa, the band embarked on a rocking set, madly exchanging intricate rhythms and melodies to the deep beats of the kebero drums. Amharic popular songs were sounded in counterpoint to Ethio-jazz numbers from Addis’ 1960s/70s ‘Golden Years’ to weave a truly unique mesh of Ethiopian styles. This was all augmented by Temesgen’s electrifying performance on the krar, the ancient six-stringed Ethiopian lyre, fully showcasing his skills as he strummed driving riffs that would rival any rock guitarist.

Krar Collective open the new season

London-based Ethiopian trio Krar Collective are ready for the first Making Tracks tour this season, starting next week.