Arts, Events & Entertainment | Posted on August 6th, 2026 | return to news

African Soul Rebels tour returns to Poole

A long overdue return for the groundbreaking African Soul Rebels will see them back at Lighthouse Poole on 3 October.

The African Soul Rebels tour will return featuring Les Amazones d’Afrique joined by babatoni maestro Gasper Nali and Glastonbury Emerging Talent winner N’famady Kouyaté on Saturday 3 October at Lighthouse Poole.

“I’m really excited for the opportunity to host these incredible artists in Poole,” says John Blakeley, Lighthouse music programmer.

“Bringing the African Soul Rebels tour back to Poole has been a dream for a long time. This isn’t just a gig it’s the revival of a movement and to have Les Amazons D’Afrique, Gasper Nali and N’famady Kouyaté together will be a joyous celebration of African music to remember!

“As part of the national touring network Music Beyond Mainstream, of which Lighthouse is a key member, these acts not only champion new music from beyond our borders but expand the breadth of our live music offering.”

A fixture of Lighthouse programming from 2005 until 2011, the reinvigorated African Soul Rebels tour returns with the creative force that is Les Amazones d’Afrique.

Formed in Mali in 2014 by three renowned Malian music stars and social change activists – Mamani Keïta, Oumou Sangaré and Mariam Doumbia – the collective embrace international voices that summon the rights of women and girls and has since expanded to involve many female artists from across Africa and the diaspora, including Angélique Kidjo, Nneka and rising Malian star Rokia Koné.

While their cause – campaigning for gender equality and eradicating ancestral violence – is worthy enough in itself, their musical expression is equally powerful. Richly melodic and far-ranging, it blends pan-African styles and collaborative harmonies with gritty, contemporary pop.

Following two successful albums produced by Congotronix innovator Doctor L, the band has worked with renowned pop producer Jacknife Lee (U2, Taylor Swift, Modest Mouse) to present a totally fresh new sound on their third album Musow Danse, which draws inspiration from hip-hop, trap, and electronic music.

Gasper Nali is a not-so-traditional babatoni player from the small town of Nkhata Bay on the shores of Lake Malawi. The babatoni is a homemade, one-string, three-metre-long bass guitar, and with a stick and an empty beer bottle, as well as a cow skin kick drum and catchy melodies, he creates danceable original Afrobeats! Gasper’s unique style of Kwela music has received an extraordinary amount of online attention after a video of him playing by the lake shore went viral with over 20 million views.

Since relocating to Wales from Guinea in 2019, N’famady Kouyaté has been building an enthusiastic UK audience with his unique musical style. His primary instrument is the balafon – a traditional wooden xylophone sacred to West African culture and his family heritage of the griot/djeli.
Winner of the 2023 Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition, N’famady’s music is a blend of his West African heritage and western musical influences from the likes of Super Furry Animals and The Flaming Lips.

Tickets available now at African Souls Rebels featuring Les Amazones d’Afrique + Gasper Nali + N’famady Kouyaté – Lighthouse and on 01202 280000.