"The arch conjurer of fiercely tight afrobeat, globetrotting hiphop and upful high-life grooves. Onipa’s lead vocalist and frequent collaborator with Nubiyan Twist, K.O.G’s vocal dexterity and effusive energy is pure heat from start to finish. Catch him in a special appearance with rising Ghanian vocalist Lamisi and Bristol’s leading wordsmith Dizraeli. "
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See event details
A
gig
held at The Lantern
on Saturday 16th November. The event starts at 20:00.
Ear Trumpet Presents: K.O.G: Standing Show at The Lantern, Bristol Beacon, Trenchyard St, BS15AR- 14+ (Under 18s to be accompanied by a responsible adult)
Doors 7:30pm Show: 8:00pm
“I view MUSIC as a major WEAPON in the BATTLEFIELD for PEACE of MIND in the world” – K.O.G
“Ghana’s finest” – Jools Holland, Later with Jools Holland, BBC2, March 2021
Kweku Sackey aka K.O.G (Kweku of Ghana) is a multi-dimensional creative force, combining exquisite writing skills with shamanistic live performance, fierce raps, perfectly on pitch singing across a massive vocal range and some absolutely wicked dance moves. Not to mention his skills as a percussionist, arranger, bandleader and art director. A true poet and storyteller, he uses a mix of English, Pidgin and Ga to paint sonic pictures that reach deep into the souls of everyone ready to listen.
“I love to make music that CONNECTS, REVIVES , EDUCATES and ENTERTAINS, drawing on the spiritual, physical, emotional and mental well being of us as individuals and our quest to maintain balance with the universe.”
Born in Accra, Ghana, to a nurse mother and marine engineer father who had studied in England, he grew up with a diverse range of international influences alongside Ghanaian styles: Tom Waits, Quincy Jones, Bob Marley, Sizzla, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Ebo Taylor, Gyedu Blay Ambolley, Atongo Simba, George Clinton, Pavarotti, Warsaw Village Band.
Resident for over 10 years in Sheffield, UK, music has taken him to perform on huge stages all over the world, from Glastonbury’s legendary West Holts stage to Fusion (Germany), Sauti Za Busara (Zanzibar), Kabardock (Reunion) and the Commonwealth Games (Gold Cost, Australia), winning the 2018 Young Commonwealth Performer and performing for Nelson Mandela’s family.
A prolific writer and collaborator, he needs a range of projects to showcase the different sides of his unique talent. He is the lead vocalist for afro-futurist project Onipa (Strut Records, Wormfood) and hi-life/hiphop/funk band K.O.G (Heavenly Sweetness), as well as collaborating extensively with Nubiyan Twist; his song ‘If I know’ off the Freedom Fables album (Strut, March 2021) was performed live on Later with Jools Holland and A playlisted twice on BBC6 Music.
Kweku is deeply aware of his heritage and of his role as an ambassador both through space and time, negotiating culturally both between African and Western influences and between the traditional and the modern: always open to new innovations and ideas while firmly rooted in a deep lineage. This openness has informed recent collaborations with a wide wide range of producers and writers, including Léon Phal, Jembaa Groove, Zed Bias, iZem, Afriquoi, Congo Natty, Scrimshire, Dark Sky, Dizraeli, Chiminyo, Umoja and many more in the pipeline. Third album on French label Heavenly Sweetness, produced by master French producer Guts (Alliance Ethnik) and longtime friend and collaborator Tom Excell (Nubiyan Twist, Onipa), will drop September 2024.
K.O.G will also be joined by special guest Disraeli and global collaboration Lamisi X We Be Many
Lamisi, is a Ghanaian singer and songwriter. She is the first female artist from her region to record and tour professionally, a powerful advocate for the rights of the girl child. She started her career as the lead singer for the Patch Bay Band, and has gone on to tour and record with many stars from Ghana's flourishing music scene.
We Be Many is a global collaborative project: a DJ crew, live act, and recording collective - Influenced by the underground global rave scene and by heavyweight beats from across the globe, "We fuse powerful musical elements of past and future to create a unique, uplifting and irresistible sound". Global grooves meet Afro-futurism delivered with invigorating energy.
And so a beautiful collaboration is born, a delightful fusion between contemporary sound system music and authentic Ghanaian folk. Blending traditional instrumentation and polyrhythms with cutting edge beats and deep grooving bass that moves people.
eartrumpet
Entry requirements: 14+, any under 18s accompanied by 21+ adult 1:1 ratio