Melting Vinyl dedicated to bringing creative artists to Brighton & Kent

Melting Vinyl Presents:
Gasper Nali (full band) + Liz Ikamba
at Komedia Studio, Brighton on Thursday 5th June

Doors 7.30pm / Start 8pm
Tickets £15 in adv/£19 on the door
Standing
Age restrictions – 14+ Under 16’s to be accompanied

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 African one-string home-made 3-metre long bass guitar, and with a stick and an empty beer bottle, together with a cow skin kick drum and catchy melodies, he creates the most amazing and danceable original Afro Beats possible.

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. He has been featured by CNN and in the documentary ‘Deep Roots Malawi’, jammed with Joss Stone, appeared on Wired for Sound – Malawi, remixed by Aroop Roy for Sol Power Sounds and has been played by Iggy Pop on 6Music. His debut album, Abale Ndikuwuzeni, roughly translates to ‘People, I Want To Tell you’. It is a fitting title as Gasper’s songs, all sung in the Malawi national language of Chichewa, talk about life and strife in the country, often including social issues such as the rich and the poor, child marriages etc.

Gasper has toured the UK and Europe several times since his breakthrough video, playing in all environments from seated arts centres spaces to major festival stages. This year, Gasper will be transforming his customary one-man-band show and perform with a 3-piece band for the very first time in the UK. Along for the ride is Malawi born songsmith and cultural proponent Luhangah on additional vocals and percussion, as well as Gasper’s long-time producer and collaborator Mattias Stålnacke on guitars.

Gasper will also release his new record “Chule Chule Iwe” to coincide with a UK tour in May/June of 2025.

“His music is simple but joyous, and totally infectious” – Songlines Magazine
“His songs are moving to hear and a spectacle to watch” – Simon Broughton, Evening Standard

Liz Ikamba
Brighton-based artist Liz Ikamba brings Congolese-tilted Afrosoul to make your heart soar and your body groove. Using loop pedal, voice, guitar, and percussion Liz builds rich, layered grooves. Expect lyrics in both Lingala and English, woven through a seamless fusion of Soul, Reggae, Soukous, Hip Hop, and Dub.

“Well-crafted melodies that honoured African diasporic influences with a capella flourishes.” ~ Russ Higham, Songlines, live review at The Rose Hill, Brighton.