Soweto comes to Sunderland at South African band's Fire Station show

Bantu Continua Uhuru Consciousness (BCUC) bring punk rock energy and unique Afro-psychedelic sound to The Fire Station on Wednesday, July 12.

The seven-piece band was one of the most exciting acts at 2022’s Green Man Festival, and delighted audiences globally with indigenous funk and high-energy performances.

The band rehearses in a shipping container turned community restaurant beside the church where Desmond Tutu organised the escape of the most wanted anti-Apartheid activists of Soweta.

BCUC give a voice to the plight of uneducated South African workers, turning a spotlight on the harsh realities of life for many. But BCUC’s South Africa” is not poor, but rich in tradition, rituals and beliefs”.

The band formed in 2003 and sings in all 11 official languages of South Africa. Artistic heirs to Philip ‘Malombo’ Tabane and Batsumi, they give a modern voice to the ancestral traditions of indigenous peoples.

Jazz sounds of 1970s and ‘80s productions are replaced by hip-hop influences and punk-rock energy delivers some controversial yet interesting views on modern Africa.

BCUC is a political band and has collaborated with legends such as Femi Kuti and Saul Williams. Festivals played include Glastonbury, Womad, Roskilde and Colours of Ostrava.

Vocalist Kgomotso Mokone said: “We bring fun and emo-indigenous Afro psychedelic fire from the hood.”

Tamsin Austin, venue director at The Fire Station, said: “Audiences will have seen nothing like BCUC. They’ve shaken up South African music by mashing up the old and the new, with thundering bass lines and polyrhythmic percussion set against defiant vocals. They are a joyful but formidable presence on stage.

“You can hear other echoes and influences in their music too, with a hint of American gospel, rap and soul. They’re something very different, and audiences are in for a treat.”

BCUC will be supported by emerging hip hop artist and songwriter Kay Greyson. Her single Over and Over has received more than 70,000 streams and has been played by Jack Saunder on Radio 1.

For more information or to book tickets, which start at £17, go to www.thefirestation.org.uk.