Clevedon has a long, proud history of welcoming music from every corner: local bands, regional favourites, and artists who bring global traditions to our seaside town. This year’s Amplify Festival carries that same spirit. Muco opens the celebrations this evening at the Curzon Cinema with his soulful blend of Congolese heritage and contemporary artistry, and on Saturday at 5.00 p.m., Kasai Masai step into Queen’s Square to bring one of the weekend’s most vibrant, high-energy sets.
When I spoke with Nickens Nkoso, the bandleader affectionately known as the Hip Doctor, I was struck by the warmth and clarity with which he spoke about Kasai Masai. Even through conversation, you can feel the rhythm he carries inside him. His words shaped the heart of this piece, giving me a deeper sense of the band’s journey and the pulse behind their music.
As we talked, it became clear that Kasai Masai’s music isn’t just something they play; it’s something they carry. Their sound holds a journey that stretches from rural Congo to the bright, electric energy of modern cities, and every rhythm they create reflects that movement.
At the centre of their music sits soukous, the fast, guitar‑driven dance genre born in the Congo Basin. It’s joyful, urgent, and built for movement, the kind of rhythm that grabs your shoulders before your thoughts even catch up.
Soukous grew out of Congolese rumba, a mid‑century blend of Cuban rhythm and African melodic tradition. Rumba leans into romance and smooth, mid‑tempo warmth. Over time, musicians stripped back the brass, pushed the electric guitars forward, and lifted the tempo. Soukous arrived with a spark: faster, brighter, and designed for shaking. The name itself comes from the French secouer, meaning to shake.
Kasai Masai take that spark and let it breathe in the present. They fuse soukous with folkloric rhythms, contemporary influences, and their own unmistakable magic. When I asked Nickens what sits at the heart of their music, he didn’t hesitate. “Identity and connection,” he told me. “We take the rhythms, energy, and spirit that come from our roots and let them breathe in the present. It’s music that’s meant to make you feel something: to move, to remember, to celebrate, and to feel connected to one another.”
A Bridge Between the Rainforest and the City
Kasai Masai’s name tells the story of who they are. Kasai honours the river that winds through the Congolese rainforest, where communities hold tight to ancient traditions. Masai reaches toward Kenya’s iconic nomadic culture, a nod to the band’s diverse heritage, including its Kenyan saxophonist.
When I asked how those cultural threads show up on stage, Nickens explained that they appear everywhere: in percussion patterns that echo village ceremonies, in guitar and bass lines shaped by Congolese dance music, in vocal interplay that shifts between languages, and in choreography that invites the audience into the rhythm. “The performance becomes a living conversation between the heritages,” he said.
Kasai Masai perform in Swahili, Lingala, and Kimongo, three languages that open three different emotional doors. Swahili widens the band’s communicative reach. Lingala connects directly to Congolese popular song tradition. Kimongo grounds the storytelling in cultural memory. Together, they allow the voice to move between intimate reflection and communal celebration.
Their original compositions stretch beyond traditional expectations of Congolese music. Galloping rhythms, swinging guitars, passionate beats, and soaring saxophones create a tapestry of sound that feels both rooted and forward‑moving.
Clevedon audiences, who have always embraced music with heart and heritage, will likely feel this immediately. There’s something about the way Kasai Masai blend tradition with modern energy that resonates with communities who value storytelling, and Clevedon is absolutely one of those communities. Our town has a way of listening deeply, responding generously, and holding space for music born of lived experience. Soukous, with its joyful urgency, fits beautifully into that spirit.
Electrifying Live Performances and London Roots
At the core of the band sits a tight-knit lineup featuring Nickens Nkoso on lead vocals, Otis Lumumba on lead guitar, and Lady Mbala on rhythm guitar. They are anchored by Claude Bula on bass and Jean Claude Mulamba on drums, with Ismael Khamis completing the sound on saxophone.
London gives Kasai Masai a home base, but their music reaches far beyond the city. They headline Focus Africa, fill intimate rooms like Jam in a Jar on Green Lanes in North London, and draw crowds who start dancing before the soundcheck even ends. When I asked why London audiences matter so much, Nickens told me that people from all backgrounds gather and engage. “Sometimes they applaud during soundcheck,” he said. “That connection feeds us.”
When they write new music, rhythm usually arrives first. Melody follows. Story threads through both. “The boundaries are fluid,” Nickens explained.
Listening to him describe their creative process, I realised how deeply rhythm shapes their identity. Rhythm isn’t just a musical foundation; it’s a cultural one. It’s the pulse of ceremonies, celebrations, and everyday life in Congo. When Kasai Masai brings that pulse to a place like Clevedon, it creates a bridge between worlds. You can feel that bridge forming even before the first note is played.
Taking Soukous and Rumba to the Global Stage
Kasai Masai’s reach stretches across continents. They’ve shared stages with icons like Kanda Bongo Man, collaborations that taught them how to navigate promoters, audiences, and the global music circuit with confidence. “Performing with Kanda helps us get more opportunities and experiences,” Nickens said.
They’ve played WOMAD, Wilderness, World Music LX in Portugal, Zain Party in Spain, Clonmel Festival in Ireland, the RainForest Festival in Malaysia, Pete the Monkey, the Oman World Music Festival, and the World Music Festival in Bahrain.
Some memories stay vivid. Malaysia stands out for Nickens. “Performing in front of 20,000 people was so special. The atmosphere, everything was magic.” Australia left its own mark too: “Womadelaide was so memorable. We had a great time.”
In the studio, they recreate the electricity of their live shows by turning each recording session into a small gig, no audience, just pure energy.
Hearing these stories, I couldn’t help imagining how Queen’s Square will feel when they step onto the stage. Clevedon may not hold 20,000 people, but it holds something just as powerful: closeness. The kind of closeness where you can see the musicians’ expressions, feel the vibration of the bass through the ground, and watch children dance alongside grandparents. Kasai Masai thrive in that kind of environment. Their music is built for connection, and connection is exactly what Clevedon does best.
Preservation and Renewal
Kasai Masai return often to themes of heritage and continuity. They talk about music passing from generation to generation, and their own compositions reinterpret those traditions for today’s listeners. Preservation and renewal sit side by side in their work. They modernise arrangements and collaborations while protecting the rhythms, languages, instruments, and stories that define their identity.
DJ Jamie Renton captured it perfectly: “Kasai Masai successfully marry a respect for vintage grooves with an overwhelming urge to move the dance floor. This is the sound of the old and new, of the countryside and the city, from deep in the heart of Africa…”
That balance of the old and the new mirrors something in Clevedon itself. Our town holds history in its architecture, its coastline, its community traditions. Yet every festival, every performance, every gathering brings something new. Kasai Masai’s music fits into that rhythm of renewal. It honours the past while celebrating the present, and it invites us to move forward together.
Clevedon: A Coastal Celebration
When I asked Nickens what Clevedon can expect, he answered with the kind of warmth that makes you want to be there already. “We will dance together while discovering and appreciating a vibrant part of African musical culture.”
And yes, they’re excited to bring Jambo, the song that never fails to get people on their feet. “It gets people participating rather than just listening,” he said.
Clevedon’s festival isn’t a world music event; it’s a celebration of everything our town loves: local talent, regional artists, and the occasional burst of global rhythm that widens the horizon. Muco opens the festival at the Curzon this evening, and on Saturday at 5.00 p.m., Kasai Masai step into Queen’s Square to deliver one of the weekend’s most anticipated sets. They’re not closing the festival, but they’re bringing a moment that will stay with us long after the last note fades.
There’s something special about seeing a band like Kasai Masai in a place like Queen’s Square. The open air, the familiar faces, the hum of the town around you and then suddenly, the sound of soukous rising into the evening. It’s the kind of moment that becomes part of a town’s memory. Years from now, people will say, “Do you remember when Kasai Masai played here?” And they’ll smile, because they’ll remember the dancing, the colour, the joy, and the feeling of being part of something bigger than themselves.
Expanding Horizons
Kasai Masai continue to evolve. Their catalogue lives on Spotify and SoundCloud, and they’re deep into crafting a new album that leans even further into rich, romantic rumba. Through constant creation and powerful live performances, they keep the heartbeat of Congolese music pulsing across the world.
And now, that heartbeat arrives in Clevedon, not to end the festival, but to lift it, energise it, and remind us how music travels across oceans and finds a home wherever people are ready to listen. This year, Clevedon has shown that readiness in abundance.
As the festival unfolds, Kasai Masai’s performance will become one of its defining moments, not because they are international, but because they bring something honest, joyful, and deeply human. Their music reminds us that rhythm is a universal language, and Clevedon speaks it fluently. Saturday at 5.00 p.m. will be more than a set; it will be a celebration of connection, culture, and the beautiful way music gathers us together.