CONFIRMED LINE UP
We have finally finalised our line up! Get ready folks, let's get the party started!!!
Soul Bone (Afro-soul/R&B)
Since first meeting at the Danhiko school back in 2001, Soul Bone have been entertaining crowds with their acapella vocals. Today they come with a full band to kick the music off at Miombo Magic 2015.
Saturday 10 am Let’s Get This Party Started !
Vera (Afro-Jazz)
She began singing as a Convent girl. Now, at only 21, she’s one of Zimbabwe’s brightest jazz prospects. Vera offsets her coy stage presence with powerful vocals and a chirpy personality you’ll love.
Vee Mukurati (Fusion)
Vee went to Ireland a couple of years ago as an accomplished
saxophonist (one of
many outstanding graduates of the PE Jazz band). When he came back, he’d started singing. And songwriting. And, yes, entertaining. We love the new Vee!
Josh Meck(Afro-Jazz)
The left-handed, upside-down bass player with all the class, charisma and talent to become one of Zimbabwe’s greatest jazz artists. But wait, isn’t he already one of Zimbabwe’s greatest jazz artists?! Maybe we mean one of the greatest ever?
Retrospex (Trans-genre)
They’re rock, they’re reggae, they’re hip-hop, they’re dance. You can’t pin them
down to any single genre. But hey, who cares? You’re sure to be dancing in the afternoon sunlight to these guys, and that’s all that really matters!
Tariro neGitare (Afro-soul)
She’s the definition of poise, grace and class. Tariro has played every Miombo Magic
since we began, and each time she gets better and better. This time she brings a full band, a new album and a mountain of charm. Enjoy it (you will!).
Drum Café (Drums)
They provide the drums. You provide the beat. An interactive drum-fest to get the endorphins flowing.
Victor Kunonga (Traditional contemporary)
The award-winning guitarist and songwriter who released his first album only two
years after first picking up a guitar and teaching himself how to play it. Last month he took the main stage at HIFA. This month he joins us at Miombo.
Macy Huber (Afro-pop fusion)
The Kenyan Zimbabwean songstress, in a one-off performance previewing her
forthcoming album. Veteran of every Miombo Magic festival, Macy will be celebrating the release of her new album, recorded in Zimbabwe.
Evicted (Afro-rock)
Winners of last year’s Battle of the Bands, Evicted are indisputably Zimbabwe’s
finest Afro-Rockers, playing unique, upbeat fusion from their latest album. They have an almost intuitive understanding of how to get a crowd dancing.
Alexio Kawara and the Shades of Black (Afro-fusion)
Since the first Miombo Magic, we’ve been trying to get Alexio on the stage. Bursting with star quality, the last time we saw him he’d broken his leg a few days before the gig and took to the stage with crutches. This year his legs are intact!
Kamikaze Test Pilots (ZimRoots Rock)
Nobody quite matches the unique sounds of KTP. It’s rock. It’s punk. It’s reggae.
And it’s 100% Zimbabwean. They’ve wowed the crowds at the London ZimFest for years. Now, for the first time on home soil, they’re here to rock Miombo Magic. Brace yourselves. There’s a hurricane comin’ your way....
Mokoomba (Afro-fusion)
Once they were smalltown boys from Vic Falls. Now the Guardian (UK) calls them
“Africa’s most internationally successful young band”. Their breathtakingly assured performance at the HIFA opening show left no-one in doubt that they’ve arrived. And lucky for us, they’re back at Miombo to steal the show. Again!
Jam Signal (Urban House Fusion)
They don’t sing. They don’t talk much either. But this unique three-piece band of former PE boys can seriously play. And when they do, their unique blend of house/jazz/funk music bypasses the brain, goes straight to the soles of your feet and tells them to start moving. And they will.
Toby2Shoes (DJ)
There’s something utterly unique about Toby. Maybe it’s his glasses. Maybe it’s his
hair. Or maybe it’s just that he’s the most eclectic, extraordinary DJ you’ve ever heard. Whether it’s Balkan, Swing, Dub or Gypsy, Toby has a way of getting people out of bed and back on the dancefloor. This year joined by Vee Mukarati on sax.
The RetroDuo (Mellow)
Annette and John, beautifully blending piano and sax to wake you up gently with a
series of favourite old tunes from the musical hey-day of the early 20th Century. Grab your coffee and a croissant, and come and let the sun warm you up.
Eren Levendoglu (Classical)
Eren organises her own classical musical festival in Turkey, so she’s not often around in Zim to perform. Lucky us, we got her on her last day before she heads off. Sit back and enjoy some Bach for Breakfast.
Gemma Griffiths (Folk Pop)
Another visiting Zimbabwean star, Gemma’s a music student in the US where she’s making waves as a singer-songwriter. Her bubbly personality, beautifully mellow vocals and sensitive guitar-picking put her in a class of her own. One day, when she’s world famous, you’ll remember this moment......
Fiddelicious (traditional Irish)
Flushed with success after a night’s jammin’ with Irish folk legends Perfect Friction at HIFA, our favourite home-grown Irish band promised to do something “different” for this year’s Miombo Magic. Hold on to your shamrocks!
Saturday 1:15 pm getting into the groove!
Saturday 6:00 pm howling at the moon!
Sunday 10:15 am crack open the bloody mary!
Rob Burrell and Friends (Folk Rock)
Rob’s star is clearly in the ascendency. He began the year opening for James Blunt. This week he takes his place back on the Miombo stage. Next month he and his band perform at the world’s biggest music festival – Glastonbury.
Here today with a group of his staggeringly talented musical mates.
Chikwata 263 (Unplugged) (Punk Mbira)
We thought we’d heard it all from Chikwata. Searingly sardonic lyrics, jump up and down rock guitar, monster mbira and raw punk attitude. Then they surprised us again with an acoustic set. You’re gonna love this! This is one for the scrapbook.
Patience Musa and Cynergy (Jazz/soul/funk)
Patience is one Zimbabwe’s most talented Jazz singers. Cynergy are the highly experienced musical team led by Bernie Bismark. Together they make sitting down impossible. Don’t even try. It’s time to start dancing.
Sunday 1:15 am party time (again) !
Ammara Brown (Afro-pop)
Musical heritage runs thick in her veins. She sang with Tuku as a child and the Storm as a teenager, so it was no surprise when she became her own artist as an adult. Famed for her high-energy stage performances, Ammara’s impish personality and phenomenal stage presence will spellbind you.
Sowe (West African Percussion)
Stars of the Francophonie Week earlier this year, Sowe blend the high octane drumming of Burkina Faso with the musical talent of Zimbabwe to bring a musical and visual spectacle totally unique to Zimbabwean audiences. This is high energy music to lift you on to your feet.
The Toby2Shoes Reprise (DJ)
He’s back, in case you missed him yesterday. Toby’s turntables bringing the curtains down on Miombo Magic 2015.
Sunday 5:30 pm closing time
We know, it sucks to have to pack up your tent, get in your car and head back to town. But the bills have to get paid, hey. We hope you’ve had a fantastic time at Miombo Magic this year, and we can’t wait to see you again next year.
Transit Crew (Reggae)
Legend has it when Bob Marley visited Zim, he sowed the seeds that eventually became the Transit Crew. Others say they were the ones who taught him how to jam reggae-style. Either way, they’ve been makin’ reggae music since before most of us were born. And no-one does it better….