After breaking ground in 2016, the AFROPUNK festival is back in London for its second instalment and we couldn’t be more excited. While there are a number of festivals featuring black and brown artists, AFROPUNK always sets itself apart as being a space for everyone to come and revel in multiple expressions of artistry without limits.
The festival manifesto of ‘NO SEXISM. NO RACISM. NO ABLEISM. NO AGEISM. NO HOMOPHOBIA. NO FATPHOBIA. NO TRANSPHOBIA. NO HATEFULNESS.’ resonates through the line-up with no one left behind. Those hungry for a weekend of soul-fuelled communion will get their fill when AFROPUNKLDN 2017 descends on Printworks – which has an interior capacity for 6000 people – over 22-23 July 2017.
As usual, the line-up is loaded with mainstream, niche and scene musicians, allowing everyone to get a taste of something new while also giving way for fandom. We’re particularly excited about some of the day one acts who will set the tone for the weekend.
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Delivering soulful, jazzy blues with a tinge of rock is Liam Bailey. The eclectic marriage of heartfelt lyrics with instrumentation that goes everywhere from a solo guitar or piano to a full band with an electric guitar lead, and Bailey’s gritty yet tender vocals is bound to be a crowd pleaser.
Complimentary acts are the poetic stylings of London’s Kojey Radical and New York’s Saul Williams, with their unforgiving, brutal honesty in their words which serve as equal parts self expression and social commentary.
The Internet – one of the newest additions to the weekend line-up – will be giving their neo-soul, R’n’B touch to the first day line-up alongside Corinne Bailey Rae who has the festival as a stop on her current international tour.
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It wouldn’t be AFROPUNK without a feisty hip-hop act and Nadia Rose reps south London with her sassy, unapologetic words while also staying true to her youthful expression. The ‘SKWOD’ singer and Little Simz will be some of the fast spitting rappers on the first day line-up, getting people ‘mash up!’
Day two is a fire flames power dose of women set to tilt the world off its axis. With the likes of guitar slingers Lianne La Havas and Mahalia, rockers Sate and The Black Orchids, our favourite 21st century girl – Willow Smith, soulstress Connie Constance, and ‘wonky funk’, East Londoner, NAO – who just recently performed at Coachella with Bon Iver, we are in store for a great end to what promises to be a thrilling weekend.
So if you’re not quite sure which day to buy tickets for, we say BOTH! You won’t regret it. Weekend tickets start at £90 and are available on the festival website. If last year’s spectacular offering is anything to go by, this is the festival to attend for a super soul recharge.