Live review: Namvula at RNCM Manchester (1)

By Ellie Sherwood

Namvula’s performance at the RNCM last night marked the end of her two-week tour of the UK, which has consisted of 11 different concerts. If her and the rest of the band were exhausted, then they certainly didn’t show it; in fact, the energy that flowed so naturally and constantly from the musicians was palpable, and it made the evening incredibly enjoyable and exhilarating. Namvula spoke openly to the audience about the fundamental themes that inspire her, such as her Zambian heritage, her mother, her aunt, and the strength and dignity of women, and this brought a very fresh and real meaning to the live music. I discovered that my favourite album track, Nsalamo, was inspired by Namvula’s great-grandmother, who walked across Zambia for a week with her two children to escape her abusive husband. This is the beauty of a good live performance: it creates a space for you to engage with the artist on a personal and human level, and you experience the music in a different way compared to listening to a CD made in a recording studio.

The stories told through her music certainly reflect the afro-folk label that is often used to describe Namvula’s sound, but the excitement and thrill that possessed many of the songs produced more afro-jazz and afro-beat vibes. The musicians performing with Namvula – Liran Donin on bass, Chris Williams on alto sax, Jack Ross on guitar, and Mamadou Sarr on percussion - were individually brilliant, and as a band, they were phenomenal. Each person was on exactly the same wavelength as Namvula, and it was such a joy to watch them having fun on stage. The music would change and gain intensity in such a way that only works if all the musicians involved are following each other, and this enabled us, the audience, to give ourselves up completely to Namvula and let her music take over.

The spontaneity and brilliance of the solos at the end of the gig emphasised the band’s creativity, and the night came to a close with Namvula dancing barefoot on stage with the saxophonist’s young niece. I certainly did not want to the evening to end, and to me, it was everything a performance should be: the music was awesome, the band were tight, and I felt as though I had gained a deeper insight into Namvula’s musical journey.

Photo by Steve Sweet