Joe Driscoll & Sekou Kouyate, Blind Tiger, Brighton
- Written by Rob Crozier
Walking into the Blind Tiger in Brighton for the start of the Afriganza Festival, the smell of hot spicy yam curry alongside rice, okra and sweet potatoes greets us, providing a happy antidote from the bitter cold outside. Over four days the festival will feature African music, workshops, and films in a huge AfroBeat celebration, and in light of it's success Blind Tiger have announced that Afriganza will be a new monthly event from June.
We are here to see Joe Driscoll & Sekou Kouyate, who are tagged as a 'musical marriage made in heaven'. According to Joe neither understands the others spoken language yet it was easy to see the way that they communicate through their mutual love of music which translates effortlessly on stage. The pair met in Marseilles during a festival and have been playing ever since. Joe is known as the man with iron lungs as he fuses hip hop, blues and folk with looped beats. Sekou is tagged In France as the ‘Jimi Hendrix of the kora’, because of his unique style of playing.
The support act of the night is Island Cassette, an English five piece influenced by mainly South African Sokous, as they were keen to point out throughout the set. The band come from Tunbridge Wells and despite the initial lack of confidence from the front man, they start to knock out some funky Afro-based rhythms. As the venue fills, the band hit fan-favourite 'Photograph Part 2', an Afro inspired pop tune. Despite the band's best efforts, several songs pick out the limitations that face a band of white kids playing black music while at times it feels as if the bands supporters are here for a pre-Comic Relief fund-raiser rather than a cultural celebration.
By ten thirty, the crowd are ready for the main act who do not disappoint. Joe Driscoll introduced the band to Brighton and expressed his delight at having found a collection of musicians that he could form a group with, restoring his faith in bands after spending several years as a solo artist The combination of a normal three piece lead guitar, drums and bass plus the inclusion of the African instrument, the Kora, gives the group a powerful driving sound. Usually the kora is a guitar shaped instrument similar to a sitar. However Sekou has adapted this instrument to allow a much larger powerful sound. His playing was, at times, jaw dropping as Joe Driscoll sung and rapped smoothly to enhance the unique sounds the band produce. Driscoll and Sekou illustrate this particularly well on ‘Mixtape’ a tune from Driscoll's back catalogue.
The crowd pleaser comes in the form of standout track 'Faya' which really moves the crowd, thus confirming the bands ability to create and build an energetic vibe amongst the chilled and enjoyable atmosphere. Along with Sekou's entrancing French afro vocals, the band feed the crowd's enjoyment, ending the set with this stand out classic. This was extended with an inspired five minute solo from Sekou on his Kora creating a final crescendo.With the sounds of the kora ringing in our ears, Joe then moves the crowd with some flowing rhymes and encourages the crowd to join in by means of hand claps.
They return for the encore and produce one final track. A wonderful high energy song entitled ‘Zion’ which the audience eagerly lap up. The night slips away with the welcome sounds of the African Night fever DJ’s ensuring that there is still enough time to sink another drink and revel in the night's atmosphere before braving the cold, seaside winds of Brighton.