Bristol O2 Academy, 18th February 2023
EZRA COLLECTIVE
CHART UK LIVE DATES THIS FEBRUARY
NEW ALBUM:
‘WHERE I’M MEANT TO BE’
OUT NOW – STREAM IN FULL HERE
“An exceptional album that centres joy and community, radiates positivity and youthful abandon”
The Guardian, ★★★★★
“A glorious collection of tracks that demonstrate not only their striking musicality, but also their inherent camaraderie… Ezra Collective have once again released an album that is hard to fault” – CLASH, 9/10
Following the release of their critically acclaimed, Top 30 album ‘Where I’m Meant To Be’ – EZRA COLLECTIVE – will be keeping the party in full flow as they line up a series of UK live dates in 2023.
Part of a wider European run, the contemporary jazz/pop collective will be stopping in Bristol, Glasgow, and Manchester, before an unmissable hometown finale at Brixton Academy. Tickets are on sale now here, with full dates and details to be found below.
A thumping celebration of life, Ezra Collective’s new album is an affirming elevation in the band’s hybrid sound. With a cover that references Thelonious Monk’s seminal ‘Underground’, ‘Where I’m Meant To Be’ marries cool confidence with bright energy and features a number of special guest contributions from Sampa The Great, Kojey Radical, Emeli Sandé and Nao, plus spoken contributions from Tony Allen and Steve McQueen.
The band’s upcoming tour also follows the release of recent BBC 6-Music playlisted single, “No Confusion” featuring Kojey Radical and an accompanying video directed by Douglas Bernhardt.
“No Confusion” is both a celebration of Nigerian style and culture, and tribute to one of the country’s musical heroes; the late, great drummer, Tony Allen. A pioneer of the Afrobeat sound and longtime musical director of Fela Kuti’s band, Allen was also an inspirational friend and mentor to Ezra Collective’s bandleader Femi Koleoso, who knew him as ‘Uncle Tony’. No Confusion opens with a conversation between Allen and his protégé.
“Drum lessons with Uncle Tony didn’t just change my life, but Ezra Collective’s”, explains Koleoso. “The most valuable thing he ever taught me was, always be yourself. Be who you are. Be proud of who you are. When you truly are who you’re meant to be, you have no confusion. Confusion by Fela Kuti is one of the only recorded drum solos by Uncle Tony – it’s so him, no one else could have played it. This track is so us. We’re at a place where we really know who we are as a band – and there’s No Confusion about it.”
The single follows earlier offerings Victory Dance, Life Goes On and Ego Killah, all of which feature on Ezra Collective’s second album, Where I’m Meant To Be, out now on Partisan Records.
Catch the band at these following dates and venues in the UK this February…
EZRA COLLECTIVE – 2023 UK LIVE DATES
18 FEB 2023 / UK / Bristol / O2 Academy
19 FEB 2023 / UK / Glasgow / SWG3
23 FEB 2023 / UK / Manchester / Albert Hall
24 Feb 2023 / UK / London / O2 Brixton Academy
Tickets:
https://ezracollective.com/tour
******
EZRA COLLECTIVE – NEW ALBUM: ‘WHERE I’M MEANT TO BE’ – OUT NOW
LISTEN TO NEW SINGLE “NO CONFUSION”FEATURING KOJEY RADICALSTREAM ON ALL SERVICES HERE || WATCH THE VIDEO HERE
@thebristolnomad / @bristolnomad_gigphotography
Role: Photographer / Reviewer / Interviewer
Chief, the one that bugs the team for team for their reviews and images. Creator and founder of The Bristol Gig Guide. Can usually be found swamped in admin or getting cramp kneeling at the front of a gig.
Available for: Gig Shoots, Gig Reviews, Photo Shoots, Album and Single cover shoots, Videography work, Interviews and Touring
First attended gig: Republica, circa 1996.
First gig shot: Hands Off Gretel, at The Louisiana!
Dream gig: Huge metalhead and my ultimate dream gig would be shooting my heroes Slipknot at a huge stadium gig, or as festival headliners. And to experience shooting a headline tour outside the UK
