Ibibio Sound Machine are on fine form as they begin this tour, promoting their latest album Chopping Mountain which was released last month. The first to be produced by co-band-leader Max Grunhard since 2019’s Doko Mien, it is an airier, more breezy listen than their previous two albums.
With a full, dialled-in crowd in front of them in the Lantern room, the band take the opportunity to run through plenty of the new album’s material. They ease in with the delightful slow-drip funk of ‘Burning in Lagos’, as singer Eno Williams is transported from London as she dreams of the Nigerian capital. This is followed by the throbbing energy of ‘Concept of Love’ which requests that “if you love someone, let them love back”. The track – as with much of Ibibio’s music – allows Ghanaian guitarist Alfred Bannerman to come to the fore, his smoking guitar playing sparking life into the material.
By the time Ibibio get to ‘The Talking Fish (Asem Usem Iyak)’, an early classic from their eponymous debut album, we are only 10 minutes into the gig and Williams already has the crowd chanting, dancing and throwing their arms around. The horn section of Grunhard on saxophone, Tony Hayden on trombone and Scott Baylis on trumpet are firing on all cylinders by now. ‘Protection from Evil’, from 2022’s Hot Chip-produced Electricity, is a storm, and a highlight of the night. The thudding bass of PK Ambrose is utterly meaty, and the menacing track – which sounds like a B-side to ‘Huarache Lights’ – could soundtrack a strut into the apocalypse.
The synth-heavy ‘All That You Want’ is a more reflective stomp, while the lo-fi ‘When You Want to Dance’ and afrobeat ‘Chopping Mountain’ are presented as more dancefloor-ready new tracks. The horn-led ‘Give Me A Reason’ features a synth line that wouldn’t be out of place in a Phil Oakey production. When Ibibio slip into latest single ‘Love’, a standout from the latest album which has been getting plenty of airplay recently, they fully demonstrate their ability to meld together a vast array of styles. Here, fuzzy horns and a laid back groove reflect the vintage soul of Leon Bridges. Elsewhere, they have brought together elements of afrobeat, highlife, funk, disco and electro.
Williams takes a moment to dedicate her “journey” to her Nigerian grandmother. Growing up in Nigeria, Williams was consistently encouraged into sing in Ibibio, the language spoken in parts of the country. The encouragement paid off, and we should all be grateful. Ibibio Sound Machine are superb outfit, demonstrating in a world of robots just what live musicianship can do in a dancefloor environment.
