Supported by GuaraMande
The Junction, 13th April 2008
5 stars

I first stumbled across the boys from Nizlopi in 2002 when they were performing one afternoon in a small bar in Camden. John was walking around playing his double bass while beatboxing, and Luke was dazzling the audience like the sunbeam he continues to be on stage. Six years on, and true to form, they started off a gig awash with audience participation by coming down into the stalls and opening with "Start Beginning". It fits with their joyous approach to life that they had us singing along from the very first song... "in the springtime".

This gig, along with their new record, marks a maturity that was hitherto missing from their music. But in true Nizlopi style it's a hope-filled maturity, urging us to change the world for the better. The protest songs, were linked by a proactive patter from shoeless Luke, interspersed with an openly childlike set of stories. Musically, they were faultless, strong musicianship and vocals that carried even without the use of a microphone, combined with engaging stage presence.

We were treated to another stalls performance when Kadialy Kouyate and Adriano Adewale from GuaraMande joined Nizlopi for "Last Night in Dakar", a song that pays homage to the struggle by many Senegalese migrants. The overall tone of the night was one of internationl togetherness and global environmental and humanitarian responsibility. The support performance by GuaraMande, a truly international band hailing from Senegal, Brazil, Italy and Algeria, was very much in keeping with this ethos. GuaraMande are a jazz-folk band whose music combined ethereal fiddle playing with enchanting strains from the Mandinka kora to produce an experience that allows the listener to transcend societal boundaries.

For some, a gig like this might be overly naïve and tree-hugging hippy-ish. The audience, who crowded to meet the band afterwards, seemed to be in agreement with me that it restores our faith in humanity to hear joyous music from people who still care about doing the right thing by the world.

Kat Austen