Join us at Trinity Buoy Wharf on Tuesday 30 April for a free concert celebrating Bengali music.
The headline act is KHIYO, a Bengali/British band based in London, plus performances by students from three schools in Tower Hamlets and Newham.
Trinity Buoy Sounds
This concert is part of Trinity Buoy Sounds, a three-year programme funded by Trinity Buoy Wharf Trust and developed and delivered by World Heart Beat, which sets out to bring music into the lives of young people aged 11 – 18 that live in and around the Wharf (Tower Hamlets and Newham).
About KHIYO
Bringing a London sound to Bengali music, Khiyo’s radical and fresh interpretation of songs from the Bengali tradition draws from rock, folk, and Indian and Western classical music.
Mind-boggling in its execution, with flourishes of jazz, folk and rock shot through the traditional music that forms the backbone of this remarkable piece of work.”
RNR magazine
The band was formed in 2007 as a collaboration between Sohini Alam (vocals) and London-based composer Oliver Weeks (guitar) to explore new ways of presenting traditional Bengali music whilst preserving its essence. The ‘Khiyo’ is a letter in the Bengali alphabet made up of two sounds and, in many ways, it reflects who they are: creatures of two cultures, two music teachings, two languages. Their sound mixes powerful and expressive interpretations of the classics with dynamic and original arrangements.
From folk tunes to mystical Baul poetry via film themes, protest songs and even Bangladesh’s national anthem – delivered with a refreshing originality and a dynamic rock-influenced energy.
Songlines – album selected as ‘Top of the World’
They signed to ARC Music in 2015, releasing two albums on the label, Khiyo and Bondona, following this latter with an appearance at WOMAD the same year. Both albums received excellent reviews and were featured in Songlines’ ‘Top of the World’ albums. They have scored two award-winning films: the documentary Rising Silence, based around the stories of the Birangona, and the narrative feature Barir Naam Shahana, both directed by Leesa Gazi.
The band bring the poetry and music of Bangladesh into glorious Technicolor focus
RNR magazine
Join us
When: Tuesday 30 April @ 4.30pm
Where: The Chain Store, Trinity Buoy Wharf, 64 Orchard Place, E14 OJW
