Here is an absolute show. 9-or-more-piece Afrobeat troupe following Kweku of Ghana, the leader of one of the most exciting live acts in world music.
K.O.G. are a group that’s always on the move. Earlier this summer, after a fireball performance at Peckham Levels, they played a show in Germany just two days after, keeping up their impossible levels of energy everywhere they go.
With lyrics that inspire, emphasising the importance of inner resource, self-love, and gratitude, their impact is matched only by their fierce, lightning-fast rhythms, all bandmembers in synchronised cacophony, all given the chance to solo at least twice. It’s warming to see musicians just absolutely love being on stage, singing and dancing and laughing more with each other than with the audience.
But it’s the frontman, Kweku of Ghana, who brings the show. You rarely see performers like him these days, rapping, singing, scatting, speaking, throwing himself hither and yon, dominating centre stage, never letting his singing or dancing impede each other. Almost catlike in his nimble, precise footwork, he surprises with moments of power and force in a synchronicity that awards him this larger-than-life presence.
And now, on the eve of their third album, which has been teased at shows all year, K.O.G. look ready to plunge themselves into the mainstream of European music where they deserve to be.
This show comes seriously recommended. It’s hard to get people to dance at gigs these days, with too many on their phones, or just embarrassed to move, or are under the spell of a performer that doesn’t emphasise the importance of movement. With K.O.G., you will find it impossible to stand still. You’ll feel yourself get sucked in. And you’ll thank us for it another time.
K.O.G. will likely come on around 10 after the opening acts, and will rage on til late. Doors at 8pm, 2am closing time.