After many sell-out shows, the Soweto seven-piece returns triumphantly to their Bristol home, The Jam Jar, for two whole nights of sonic ritualism, emotion and mayhem.

BCUC are a truly special force to behold on stage, so we’re extremely proud to welcome them back. These Afro-punk luminaries from Soweto bring elements of psychedelic funk, hip-hop consciousness, and a punk-rock attitude to their unique high-energy show.

BCUC have been crushing performances for 20 years, but it’s clear that now is their time!

Thursday 23rd April
The Jam Jar Presents
BCUC: Bantu Continua Uhuru Consciousness
+ MSÄSI
Doors Open 7.30pm

*2023 Womex Artist Award Winners*

“Without a doubt the best live act I saw”- Gilles Peterson

“Loved their set, it was one of my highlights of a great weekend” – Nick Dewey, Glastonbury Festival

“Guaranteed to touch untapped corners of your soul” – Okayafrica

“The most impressive newcomers this year” – The Guardian

BCUC
BCUC: Bantu Continua Uhuru Consciousness. Indigenous funk, hiphop consciousness and punk rock energy from Soweto, South Africa.

From humble beginnings, rehearsing in a shipping container a stone’s throw from the church where Desmond Tutu organised the escape of the most wanted anti-Apartheid activists of Soweto, BCUC have grown to become one of the world’s most celebrated bands, playing the biggest stages at some of the most important festivals in the world: Glastonbury West Holts, Roskilde, Afropunk Brooklyn, Dour, Worldwide, Womad, Fusion, Sziget, FMM Sines, Beaches Brew, Boomtown, Colours of Ostrava, Couleur Café.

Like its elders, Bantu Continua Uhuru Consciousness sees its music as a hedonistic trance, but also as a weapon of political and spiritual liberation. 2023 even saw them win the prestigious Womex Artist Award, an accolade usually reserved for much older artists, in recognition of their fearless work ethic and prodigiously transformational live shows.

The seven-piece band has been mesmerising audiences both locally and globally with its indigenous funk and high-energy performances that have fast made it one of South Africa’s most successful musical exports. Artistic heirs to Philip “Malombo” Tabane and Batsumi, they give contemporary voice to the ancestral traditions of indigenous peoples. Jazz sounds of 1970s and ‘80s productions replaced by hip-hop influences and punk-rock energy, taking the listener on an intriguing epic journey, sharing their controversial yet interesting views on modern Africa. They tackle the harsh realities of the voiceless, especially the plight of the uneducated workers at the bottom of the social food chain. BCUC taps into the elusiveness of the spirit world of ancestors by which they are inspired. The Africa portrayed by BCUC is not poor, but rich in tradition, rituals and beliefs.

“We bring fun and emo-indigenous Afro psychedelic fire from the hood,” says vocalist Kgomotso Mokone.

MSÄSI
MSÄSI creates soul medicine for a generation remembering itself. South African born-bristol based vocalist MSÄSI weaves Neo-soul, Afro-soul, alternative R&B, spiritual jazz, ambient with traditional African textures. Great grandniece of choral composer BB Myataza, she is more than a singer, she is a vessel for memory—each note layered with history.

Winner of the ESP Young Legends Award at the Cape Town Jazz Festival 2017, she has shared stages with artists like Kamasi Washington and Laura Mvula, performed at leading festivals and International television including Trans Musicales and KEXP (France) 2019, Arte Concert (France) 2020 , Eurosonic (Netherlands) 2022 all with her band, Songø. In 2025 She was selected top 5 in the South West for the Saffron Artist Development Programme

MSÄSI's music carries memory and spirit while pushing boldly into the future.  

Entry requirements: 14+, any under 18s accompanied by 21+ adult 1:1 ratio — Read more — Read less