Founded in London back in 2010, the Ibibio Sound Machine ensemble are dedicated to a global mission: to narrow or even completely dissolve the gap between traditional and modern sounds. On their studio albums, the seven-piece team of multi-instrumentalists fuse the flamboyant guitars and horns of highlife music – which became a Nigerian pop sensation in the 60s – with the Afrobeat of Fela Kuti. The convention-breaking R’n’B of the 80s collides with the high-energy drum and bass of the 90s and the French house hype of the 2000s. Across the decades, nothing is too wild, nothing too colourful to fill this sound machine with new fuel. The sound can also be heard on albums such as the brilliant “Electricity” (2022) and their fifth release, “Pull The Rope”. But it is only live that it becomes clear why this collective is one of the hottest bands at the moment.