Agbeko at YES

Creative Tourist

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Agbeko

YES, Manchester
13 March 2020

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Band on the Wall
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Agbeko are an afrobeat-inspired rock-funk-psych juggernaut from Manchester. Influenced by the enduring music of 1970’s West Africa, the eleven-strong outfit have spent the past three years honing a singular, contemporary big band sound made up of horns, guitars, percussion and gutsy vocals.

The young group view our times through the lens of Generation Z, the forty-eight and the ninety-nine percent. In their music, they speak out against irresponsible leadership and humanitarian crises, while promoting fairness and acceptance — just as the musicians who inspire them have.

Theirs is music with a message, but it is also some of the most danceable and energising that you’re likely to hear from any modern-day big band. In 2018, Stutter & Twitch records’ admiration for the group saw them press their double A-side ‘Leaders of the Free World/Submit’ on 7” wax before a self-release of ethio-prog brooder ‘The Remedy’.

In March, Agbeko will release a unique 50/50 studio and live album, before spending the summer circling festival sites across the land. Before all of that, you can catch their joyous live show at YES on 13th March.

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