ABOUT

SOUND:

A unique, non-traditional 21st century take on African music that embodies a quirky, funk-rock-reggae expression. This fusion speaks of various influences that expand beyond the continent and breaks stereotypes, creating a universal African musical sensibility that permeates the senses.

BIO:

Flying Bantu is a musical act from Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. Their sound embodies various flavors and boldly expresses an Afro: Rock/Reggae/Funk mix which can best be described as Fusion. Between 2016 and early 2018, the five-piece act recorded a five-track EP (”Cruising Attitude”, 2017) and a ten-track album “Ceasefire” Released in March 2019 featuring the track Sunshine City which saw the band win a NAMA award for best music video 2019.

As a touring act, they have managed to perform at various festivals such as South Africa’s Rocking the Daisies where they have appeared in 2016 and 2017 back-to-back. In November 2017, Flying Bantu was selected to open the stage for the late Zimbabwean legend Oliver Mtukudzi, who performed for jubilant crowds at the icon’s 65th birthday concert at the Artscape Theater in Cape Town. During the same year at Victoria Falls Carnival, they shared the stage with some big names such as MiCasa and Africa’s biggest electronic producer/DJ “Black Coffee”. Miombo Magic Music Festival, one of Zimbabwe’s locally run music events, saw the boys brush shoulders with some of Zimbabwe’s top acts, such as Sulumani Chimbetu, Gemma Griffiths, Ammara Brown and Hope Masike amongst many more.

Flying Bantu is fast becoming a recurring feature on the local and regional African music scene, and this was echoed by their debut Main Stage performance at the 2018 Harare International Festival of The Arts (HIFA) at which powerhouses such as SA’s Lira and Freshly Ground also performed for the first time. In November of that year, the band had the honor of opening the stage for yet another music icon when they were asked to share the stage with Johnny Clegg in front of thousands of fans at his last performance ever. April of 2019 saw the band make their first appearance at Splashy Fen Festival just outside of Durban, which is one of South Africa’s largest and longest-running music events. Shortly afterward, they stepped off the African continent for the first time when they were invited to showcase in Toronto as part of Canadian Music Week 2019. February 2020 brought with it the #Ceasefire2020 Southern Africa tour which was backed by a mobility grant from the Swiss National Arts Council and saw the band take a primetime main stage set at the 30th Anniversary event of “Up The Creek”, one of Cape Town’s most popular music festivals, as well as play a further 16 shows in some of Cape Town’s most renowned live music venues.

Post the Covid pandemic, the band is making headway and is currently working on their second body of work in the form of a new album scheduled for release early 2023. Most recently they have been accepted to attend and perform at ACCES Music In Africa, which is one of Africa’s biggest “export ready” talent showcases being held in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania this November. This falls perfectly in line with the band’s overall thrust, which is to become a regular feature on the international music scene while remaining relevant regionally and locally.