Seckou Keita and The Homeland Band

Seckou Keita and The Homeland Band bring world music to Islington Assembly Hall in London, with the kora, a West African string instrument, at the centre of the evening alongside spoken poetry from the UK and Senegal.

Seckou Keita is a Senegalese kora player and percussionist, born in 1978 in Ziguinchor, in the south of Senegal. The first album, Baka Beyond Present Eté, appeared in 2001. This concert marks thirty years of professional music-making, and the programme is set to trace a path from past to present, with new works and guests.

The music blends traditional rhythms with modern compositions, drawing on afro-pop, urban and hip-hop styles. Poetry written and performed by award-winning poets and rap artists from the UK and Senegal is sampled and woven into the songs, so that the kora playing and the spoken verse sit side by side in the live performance.

Islington Assembly Hall is a live music venue and events space on Upper Street, part of the Islington Town Hall complex. Its programme leans mainly towards pop, rock and indie concerts, so this world music evening sits outside its usual bill.