Where: The Drum, 144 Potters Lane, Aston, Birmingham B6 4UU
£: Tickets cost £8 in advance
What is it?
Mixing traditional Somali music with Ethiopian and Kenyan influences, Pop, House and Reggae to create Afro Hop, Aar Maanta is bringing his unique sound to The Drum in Birmingham on 18th October.
Coinciding with Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice), The Drum will launch Maanta’s UK Tour, blending the traditional Somali poetic form of allegory and alliteration with modern musical influences to create a truly unique sound steeped in history. Maanta has received great recognition for his music, including the endorsement of the Somali Prime Minister, and was recently featured on Sky News as a positive role model for Somali youth in the UK.
Maanta will be accompanied by his band of hand-picked international talent – critically acclaimed Polish jazz guitarist Maciek Pysz; Nahini Doumbia, master percussionist and one of Africa’s finest Djembe players; eclectic Italian bassist and vocalist Ruth Goller; and Indian-Brixton drummer Pharoah Smeaton-Russel.
There will also be a special guest, the UKs leading Somali comedian Prince Abdi, whose take on UK Somali life has found firm fans in his community and well beyond.
More info: To book tickets visit www.the-drum.org.uk and to find out more about Aar Maanta, sample his music and learn his story, visit www.aarmaanta.com