Is your soul a little rusty? Is there no rhythm in your blues? Maybe it’s time for you to get a little funky! This June, on the weekend of 25 and 26, Centro Conde Duque de Madrid will host the fourth edition of Black is Back Weekend, a festival dedicated to contemporary black music.
Photo via Visual Hunt
Black is Back prides itself on being a different festival. It stays away from fashionable trends and close to talented musicians. It’s all about the sound, the groove, the far away places where only music can take you. Unlike most other festivals, its target audience is not festival lovers – it’s music lovers. Are you one? Then you’re going to love the opportunity to see all the talented artists Black is Back Weekend is bringing to Madrid this June.
Index
Artists
Charles Bradley and His Extraordinaires – Now an underground legend, 67-year-old soul singer Charles Bradley only started his career in the 90’s… as a James Brown impersonator called “Black Velvet”. Eventually discovered a decade later by Daptone Records, he released his first record “No Time for Dreaming” in 2011 and was later the subject of 2012 documentary “Soul of America”. Making up for lost time, Bradley has released 2 more records since then and now brings his unusual story and captivating voice to Madrid with the back-up of his talented band, the Extraordinaires.
The James Hunter Six – Another Daptone artist, James Hunter is a British rhythm and blues singer and songwriter with a long career. With a Grammy nomination in the bag (for his U.S debut “People Gonna Talk” in 2006, the man born in Essex has travelled all over the world, both solo and with different sets of musicians. Now with The James Hunter Six, he comes to Madrid to promote the group’s fresh new record “Hold on!”.
Photo by pmonaghan via VisualHunt.com / CC BY-NC-SA
JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound – As a young band that has been heavily influenced by the indie-rock aesthetics that dominated the last decade, JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound honour the history and tradition of black music while giving it a new spin. Describing themselves as “Otis Redding fronting The Stooges”, they seek to push the boundaries of soul and are definitely a must-see act in the 2016 edition of Black is Back Weekend.
These are just some of the acts that caught our ears, but the whole line-up is worth checking out.
More Info
Directions – If you’re wondering how to get to the festival, you can check the venue’s official website for information.
Tickets – Entry is free for children under 14 and those between 14 and 17 will benefit from reduced prices. For more information about prices and to buy your ticket right away, you can go to Ticketea.
Have fun! – We hope you enjoy Black is Back Weekend 2016. It sure sounds like a lot of fun doesn’t it? So don’t let yourself get the blues. Give your soul a breath of fresh air – go have a funky great weekend and come back here later to tell us everything about it!
