Indie meets folk meets afrobeat as Kawala come to Edinburgh

AS PRESS releases go, Kawala’s is certainly attention grabbing.

Kawala

It opens with a conversation that goes like this:

“What are those five idiots doing on a boat in my pool?”

“They’re a band.”

“OK. Right. They’re a band? So what are they doing in my pool?”

“It’s a photo shoot.”

“No. I get a lot of bands coming round here doing photo shoots.

“I’ve got a really moody wall round the back, they all lean up against that.

“Although the other day I did spot a couple of bands up on the hill behind the house, skulking about among the rocks and shrubbery.

“They looked thoroughly miserable. That lot in my pool look quite cheerful.”

“They just fancied doing a shot in your pool… On a boat...”

“What are they called?”

“Kawala.”

To be continued...

Kawala have just released their first single Play It Right and bring their stunning vocal harmonies and upbeat rhythmic guitar to The Mash House on Thursday 10 October.

The band, which started as a duo while studying in Leeds, originally comprised of Jim Higson on vocals and Daniel McCarthy on acoustic guitar/vocals.

On their return home to London they completed the line-up of the band with Reeve Coulson on bass, Dan Lee on electric guitar and Ben Batten on drums.

Describing their music as “indie meets folk meets afrobeat” they look forward to bringing their joyful energy and sunny optimism to the Capital.

Kawala says, “When writing Play it Right we thought, what better topic for a song than to discuss the difficulties of writing a song itself.

“It’s kind of set from the perspective of an internal voice guiding you through the many obstacles faced when trying to write a screamer.”

They come to Edinburgh as part of a 13 date headline tour of the UK following a summer season of festival appearances.

Kawala, The Mash House, Guthrie Street, Thursday 10 October, 7pm, £11, https://themashhouse.co.uk/events/kawala/