Live concert review: Maisha plus special guests at Village Underground (27/05/19)

Wow. Where do I even start with this? The London jazz group, who just last year released one of my favourite albums of last year in There Is A Place performed live at Village Underground on Monday the 27th May, and it was so incredible, I had to write something about it and urge people not only to check out their music but to go see them live at some point.

I unfortunately arrived a little late, but caught some of Chiminyo’s set, which was intense as he was drumming like crazy. The highlight, however came when Maisha took the stage. Jake Long, Nubya Garcia and co came out with confidence and performed like it was their last show ever. The whole performance was incredible. There impeccable and intense drumming and percussion from Jake Long, Tim Doyle and Yahael Camara Onono. Nubya Garcia as usual absolutely killed it on saxophone and flute, while Shirley Tetteh on guitar and Twm Dylan on bass have it their all. Performing tracks from their last album, they didn’t seem to stop playing. For about an hour and fifty minutes, the band kept the energy, exploding with huge moments that gave me goosebumps. At one point, the stank face of “oh, this shit fire” was on for a good half an hour as they just kept the energy going. A big shoutout to the sound at The Village Underground, as it was empowering and clear throughout the show.

So, what else is there to say? It was fun, exhilarating, spiritual, energetic, smooth and beautiful. I filmed a bit of the show just to share with you and hopefully encourage you to catch them live at some point. Also linked is their phenomenal album There Is A Place, released via Brownswood Recordings. Thanks a lot Maisha, I love you guys and wish you all the best!