Lighthouse is delighted to announce concerts by two of the most exciting names in contemporary world music – Grammy-winning artist Arooj Aftab and a long overdue return to Poole for African Soul Rebels.
I’m really excited for the opportunity to host these incredible artists in Poole,” says John Blakeley, Lighthouse Music Programmer.
“As part of the national touring network Music Beyond Mainstream, of which Lighthouse is a key member, these acts not only champion new music from beyond our borders but expand the breadth of our live music offering.
“Arooj Aftab is at a very exciting point in her career and to have a collaboration with London Contemporary Orchestra conducted by Robert Ames is such an exciting opportunity that would normally only be found in much larger cities. While, bringing the African Soul Rebels tour back to Poole has been a dream for a long time and to have Les Amazons D’Afrique and Gasper Nali together will be a joyous celebration of African music to remember!”
The two new concerts from Music Beyond Mainstream are in addition to the previously announced Max Cooper show on Saturday 17 May.
Arooj Aftab, who will play Lighthouse on Thursday 18 June, occupies a singular space in contemporary music, blending jazz, minimalism, South Asian musical traditions, and avant-pop. One of the most distinctive voices of our time, her breakthrough album, Vulture Prince, ushered Aftab into the cultural zeitgeist with widespread critical acclaim, earning a Grammy for the song Mohabbat and appearing on Barack Obama’s 2021 Summer Playlist. In 2024, she released her fourth solo album, Night Reign, which received a Grammy nomination for Best Alternative Jazz Album, while its lead single, Raat Ki Rani, was nominated for Best Global Music Performance.
Aftab has performed at major international festivals including Primavera Sound, Glastonbury, and Coachella, and has collaborated with ensembles such as the Metropole Orkest.
She will be appearing with London Contemporary Orchestra, one of the UK’s most innovative and highly regarded ensembles. With conductor, composer, curator and co-founder Robert Ames, the LCO works across scenes and disciplines with artists as diverse as Steve Reich, Philip Glass, Terry Riley, Jonny Greenwood, Anoushka Shankar, Sigur Rós and a certain Taylor Swift.
A fixture of Lighthouse programming from 2005 until 2011, the reinvigorated African Soul Rebels tour returns on Saturday 3 October with Les Amazones d’Afrique and the extraordinary Gasper Nali.
The creative force that is Les Amazones d’Afrique embrace international voices that summon the rights of women and girls. Formed in Mali, in 2014 by three renowned Malian music stars and social change activists – Mamani Keïta, Oumou Sangaré and Mariam Doumbia – the collective has since expanded to involve many female artists from across Africa and the diaspora, including Angélique Kidjo, Nneka and rising Malian star Rokia Koné. While their cause — campaigning for gender equality and eradicating ancestral violence — is worthy enough in itself, their musical expression is equally powerful. Richly melodic and far-ranging, it blends pan-African styles and collaborative harmonies with gritty, contemporary pop. Following two successful albums produced by Congotronix innovator Doctor L, the band have worked with renowned pop producer Jacknife Lee (U2, Taylor Swift, Modest Mouse) to present a totally fresh new sound on their third album Musow Danse, which draws inspiration from hip-hop, trap, and electronic music.
Gasper Nali is a not-so-traditional babatoni player from the small town of Nkhata Bay on the shores of Lake Malawi. The babatoni is an one-string homemade, three-metre long bass guitar, and with a stick and an empty beer bottle, as well as a cow skin kick drum and catchy melodies, he creates the most amazing and danceable original Afrobeats! Gasper’s unique style of Kwela music has received an extraordinary amount of online attention after a video of him playing by the lake shore went viral with over 20 million views.
African Soul Rebels in Poole:
2011 – Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 (son of Fela)
2010 – Oumou Sangaré + Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou + Kalahari Surfers
2009 – Baaba Maal + Oliver Mtukudzi and his band Black Spirits + Extra Golden
2008 – Salif Keita + Didier Awadi + Tony Allen
2007 – Femi Kuti & the Positive Force + Be Cissoko + Akli D
2006 – Amadou & Mariam + Souad Massi + Emmanuel Jal
2005 – Tinariwen + Daara J + Rachid Taha
Priority booking for both shows opens for Lighthouse Best, Great & Good Friends only on Wednesday 11 February, before going on general sale from Friday 13 February at https://www.lighthousepoole.co.uk and on 01202 280000.
To gain access to priority booking, Friends memberships are available from just £50 a year at https://www.lighthousepoole.co.uk/support-lighthouse/.
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