Wandering towards the Rialto Theatre on a blustery Friday evening can be a lonely trek as you walk through the highs and lows of Dyke Road. I was in need of some severe warming up and purpose to this evening – King Nommo were to provide that and they more than exceeded my wildest expectations. Here’s exactly why…

The Afrobeat nine-piece compromises of members from such esteemed acts as King Porter Stomp, Los Albertos, The Resonators, Kalakuta Millionaires and The Oscillators. They are fronted by the powerful and mesmerising Senegalese vocalist, Khadim Sarr while the rest of the band consists of everything from brass sections to strings and relentless percussion divisions. The music is groove inspired and rhythmically captivating, it is the sort of music that is so exciting you cannot help but lend your ear to the beat. The sound is expansive and truly draws from authentic, raw Afrobeat music – taking influence from Bifal and Griots in the West to Ethiopiques in the East. The music is largely merged with everything from drum and bass to hip-hop and dub – it is certainly music that commands you to dance along with it.

Upon arriving on-stage at around 1am, the rhythm of King Nommo is so inconspicuous – after walking up the dark staircase of the Rialto and through the side doors into the main room, I only had to swing my head around the door frame to see how Nommo had caused such a stir already. Faces smiled up in awe at the group, bodies shook emphatically, falling at the feet of Sarr, who was absorbing in his every move. On first thoughts, I was reminded of Can – the diverse, hypnotic groove of ‘Bayma’ was enchanting in the same fashion that ‘Vitamin C’ was back in 1972. Percussion sections tapped on, keeping groove and stopping at jarred intervals, defining the tempo with confidence and accuracy. The music produced by the rhythm section almost spoke for itself; keyboards and guitars silhouetted everything as Sarr merely outlined the music with his own vocals, dancing on top of the elegant melody. The experimental compositions of King Nommo take from jazz and funk in a similar way to Curtis Mayfield’s catalogue and it allowed the group to be diverse and intriguing in a completely new light. The song arrangements kept audiences bobbing at all times showing no sign of getting bored or tired. Often that can be hard for groups that produce such rhythmic music – King Nommo fortunately had this base covered securely.

Songs such as ‘Mama Sali’ stood out and distilled all elements of Afrobeat just as bossanova distils samba – the snake charmer riffs take funk and thrust it at the audience. It is the type of music that would perfectly soundtrack a 70's US cop flick with Sarr commanding the stage at all times. Sarr has a knack of merging vocal styles, playing with quick fire raps and taking this to the large, lingering choruses.

As the night went on, the crowd barely thinned, sticking around until late as King Nommo kept them in raptures throughout. Nommos, which are generally described as amphibious, fish-like creatures, certainly have a new king now and Brighton should be so ecstatic that it is the home to such a powerful creature.
Tom Churchill

Website: kingnommo.com

Facebook: facebook.com/kingnommomusic