Mamane Barka + Nubiyan Twist at The Forge

Mamane Barka + Nubiyan Twist at The Forge
Performing Artists/Bands: 
Friday, May 23, 2014 - 19:30 - 22:30
Price: £10.00
Price: 
£10 Advance / £12 on the door

Mamane Barka: 7:30 - 10:15pm. £10 admission to concert / free entrance to the bar.
Nubiyan Twist + DJs: 10:15pm - 01:30am. FREE ENTRANCE to whole venue.

This is a shared night and co-promotion with Wormfood.
We had a rare opportunity to host Mamane Barka from Niger wilst on tour for this night only. For the early half of the evening we will charge an admission to see the wonderful Mamane Barka. Once this concert has finished at 10:15pm, the venue becomes free entry and everyone gets to see the fabulous Nubiyan Twist. There is a separate bar and restaurant at The Forge, so if you'd like to come early for dinner and drinks before Nubiyan Twist, you do not need to pay the admission for the concert.

About the bands

Mamane Barka - The Lone Master of the Biram

A night in the company of Mamane Barka is a chance not just to experience an extraordinary and forgotten music, but also to hear the fascinating story of Mamane Barka’s quest to rescue this sacred instrument from extinction.

Mamane Barka from Niger was born into a family of Toubou nomads and grew up to become a teacher and then a celebrated musician with desert blues at his heart.

A decade ago Mamane heard about the beautiful sound of the biram, an enormous boat shaped 5-stringed harp sacred to the Boudouma people of Lake Chad. When he learnt there was only one elderly player of the instrument left Mamane went to live with the Boudouma to study with the old master, learning the instrument and it’s rituals and ancient, mythical songs. On the death of the master, Mamane was bequeathed the biram and charged with bringing the biram to the attention of the wider world.

Now Mamane maintains the tradition single-handedly touring the world with Oumarou Adamou, the son of a Hausa griot, whose trance-enducing percussion is the bedrock of this extraordinarily powerful desert blues