Press room

The Barbican announces two new concerts as part of the Barbican’s Project a Black Planet summer season, including a showcase hosted by drummer Moses Boyd and DJ and presenter Jamz Supernova as well as a special performance with jazz composer Ben LaMar Gay. Project a Black Planet is a major season celebrating the rich influence of Pan-Africanism on contemporary arts and culture, running from June to September 2026, with more than thirty events across art, cinema, music, performance, talks, and more throughout the Centre.

On Friday 12 June, drummer Moses Boyd and DJ and presenter Jamz Supernova come together to co-host Panafrica in Rhythm: Pan-Africanism through the lens of the drums - a celebration inviting a host of artists to respond to works in the Project a Black Planet exhibition, each bringing a one-off ensemble to the Barbican to explore the wide-ranging UK experiences of Pan-Africanism in a night of boundary-pushing sound. Alongside Moses Boyd and Jamz Supernova, artists include: Asheber & The Afrikan Revolution, Bonita x SLICKnBOBBY Present: Dub vs Cumbia, drummers Jas Kayser, Jerry Brown, and Kwake Bass, as well as South London-based Afro-Punk collective Steam Down & friends.

Later in the month, jazz composer, multi‑instrumentalist and channeler of cosmopolitan blues Ben LaMar Gay presents his We Chree trio in a special performance at LSO St Lukes. Showcasing the breadth of Chicago’s experimental lineage, Ben LaMar Gay together with Rob Frye (woodwinds) and Mike Reed (drums) bring together an exploratory live set of sounds across jazz, hip-hop, house, avant-garde and Latin influences. 

A major season of cross-arts programming, Project a Black Planet at the Barbican continues to celebrate the brilliance of Pan-Africanism across a huge range of previously announced music events, including Meshell Ndegeocello’s ode to James Baldwin, an improvised jazz performance by Pulitzer-prize winning composer and drummer Tyshawn Sorey who joins forces with pianist Pat Thomas, a London showcase for Liverpool’s Africa Oyé festival, plus a week-long immersive installation and celebration around the work of late Jamaican music pioneer Lee “Scratch” Perry and more. 

More information about Project a Black Planet’s music programme follows below.

More information about the entire Project a Black Planet programme is available here.

//

NEW -Panafrica in Rhythm

Pan-Africanism through the lens of the drums

Celebrate Pan-Africanism through rhythm, lineage and sound with artists responding to the Barbican's visual arts exhibition and summer season Project a Black Planet, co-hosted by drummer Moses Boyd and DJ and presenter Jamz Supernova.

In partnership with The Oracle Collective, this concert invites a host of artists to respond to Project a Black Planet, choosing artworks featured in the Barbican exhibition which reflect their perspective of Pan-Africanism. Each artist will bring a one-off ensemble to the Barbican Hall for a performance exploring the wide-ranging UK experiences of Pan-Africanism.

Alongside Moses Boyd and Jamz Supernova, featured artists include Asheber & The Afrikan Revolution, Bonita x SLICKnBOBBY Present: Dub vs Cumbia, drummers Jerry Brown, and Kwake Bass, South London-based Afro-Punk collective Steam Down & friends and Jas Kayser Introducing... a special co-curated set between drummer Jas Kayser and a hand-picked emerging drummer, to be announced.

In a concert designed to break down colonial barriers, audiences can expect a rich, sonic journey tracing from the roots of Nyabinghi through to London diasporic collectivism, while creating an open space for artists to present rhythms of their past, present and future.

Bold, immersive and deeply rooted in community, this is a night of boundary-pushing sound where tradition meets experimentation and global influences merge on stage.

Produced by the Barbican in association with The Oracle Collective with Kwake Bass as Creative Consultant & Musical Director and Niles “Asheber” Hailstones as Co-Curator.

Find out more

~

Lee “Scratch” Perry x Mouse on Mars Studio project
 
For one week, The Pit transforms into a specially commissioned immersive environment that explores a new collaborative project between the late pioneering reggae and dub producer Lee “Scratch” Perry and electronic music duo Mouse on Mars. 

Developed from studio sessions with Perry in 2019, the work reflects his lifelong pursuit of new sounds and ideas. Dub music is intertwined with Pan-Africanism through reggae’s roots in the Rastafari movement and its grounding in Black liberation and Afrocentric thought. 

This world-exclusive installation will present new works in spatial audio on a specially installed D&B Soundscape sound system alongside in-person events which foreground how the music became a resonant medium for Black consciousness, cultural resistance, and the expression of a shared African heritage across the diaspora. 

Produced by the Barbican

Part of Project a Black Planet

More info to follow

~

Cesária Évora Orchestra with special guest Mayra Andrade

In this special concert, the very best of today’s Cabo Verdean artists come together to pay homage to the life and sounds of Cesária Évora: La Diva aux pieds nus (The Barefoot Diva) as the Cesária Évora Orchestra, comprising Ceuzany, Elida Almeida, Lucibela, Teofilo Chantre and special guest Mayra Andrade. 

Cesária Évora was a remarkable singer who passed away suddenly in 2011. Known for performing the Cabo Verdean ‘morna’ style of music, Évora was a key voice in Creole culture and brought the deeply rooted traditions of the Cabo Verdean archipelago to a global audience. 

The world-renowned singer’s life and music will be celebrated in this concert by unparalleled Cabo Verdean artists committed to preserving her enchanting legacy and keeping her repertoire alive. Coming together under the banner of Cesária Évora Orchestra, they have performed all over the world and now bring their tribute to an icon of global music and her work – notably as an ambassador of Cabo Verdean music – to the Barbican Hall.

Produced by the Barbican

Part of Project a Black Planet

Find out more

~

Meshell Ndegeocello

Visionary bassist Meshell Ndegeocello performs No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin in a powerful live set with her band. 

A genre-defying sonic exploration blending jazz, soul, funk and spoken word, the atmospheric work draws on the writings and legacy of acclaimed author and civil rights activist James Baldwin. Weaving together Baldwin’s essays, novels and poetry, Ndegeocello creates a prophetic musical odyssey that moves through moments of intimacy, intensity and improvisation, anchored by her fluid basslines. 

The performance draws audiences into Baldwin’s meditations on race, sexuality, resistance and belonging, forming a profound dialogue between literature and music that celebrates his enduring influence nearly a century after his birth.

Produced by the Barbican

Part of Project a Black Planet

Find out more

~

NEW - Ben LaMar Gay’s We Chree

Jazz composer, multi‑instrumentalist and channeler of cosmopolitan blues Ben LaMar Gay presents his We Chree trio in a special performance at LSO St Lukes this summer. The concert is part of the Barbican’s major new season Project a Black Planet, a celebration of the powerful influence of Pan‑Africanism on contemporary arts and culture.

Showcasing the breadth of Chicago’s experimental lineage, Ben LeMar Gay together with Rob Frye and Mike Reed bring together an exploratory live set of sounds across jazz, hip-hop, house, avant-garde and Latin influences. 

A South Side Chicago native, LaMar Gay was shaped by the legendary AACM’s experimental tradition and an early immersion in the city’s many music scenes. Time spent in Brazil further informed a wide-ranging practice later described as ‘Panamericana’. After years of composing and recording, a debut album Downtown Castles Can Never Block The Sun (2018) compiled earlier work into one ‘greatest hits’ collection, followed by more albums, film scores, commissions and international residencies, with latest record Yowsers released in 2025.

Produced by the Barbican

Part of Project a Black Planet

Find out more

~

Tyshawn Sorey & Pat Thomas

Pulitzer Prize–winning composer and drummer Tyshawn Sorey joins pioneering pianist Pat Thomas for a live set of improvised jazz in this rare opportunity to see two major artists create something entirely new on stage. 

Both radical exponents of Afrofuturism, their work draws on Black experimental musical traditions that imagine new cultural and political futures. Sorey, a drummer and multi-instrumentalist, has played worldwide with Bill Frisell, Joe Lovano and Vijay Iyer. Thomas, one of the UK’s leading pianists in jazz and free improvisation, is known for his control, range, and clarity. 

With no set list and no fixed outcome, the music in this unique performance at LSO St Luke’s is created in real time, shaped by experience and instinct. Tyshawn Sorey’s work also appears this season in Monochromatic Light: Afterlife (22 Jun) – part of Davóne Tines’ artistic residency. 

Produced by the Barbican

Part of Project a Black Planet

Find out more

~

Africa Oyé x Barbican: Patoranking, Ghorwane & Kizaba

The Barbican and Liverpool's long-running and pioneering Africa Oyé festival present an evening of music with some of the continent's most exciting artists. Showcasing a remarkable breadth of sounds and styles in the Hall, the event brings together three exceptional artists: Patoranking, Ghorwane and Kizaba. 

Headlining is Patoranking, the Nigerian superstar, whose style is rooted in Afrobeat but has expanded to embrace reggae and R&B influences, as well as collaborations with numerous high-profile African and international artists from Diamond Platnumz and Kizz Daniel to Major Lazer, Ludacris and Popcaan.

Ghorwane bring their masterly take on marrabenta – dance music from Mozambique which blends traditional dance rhythms with Portuguese folk influences. Kizaba channels the Congolese tradition of La Sape, following in the immaculately stylish footsteps of Papa Wemba, building on his rumba-rock heritage to craft a modern Afro-Electro-Pop. 

Produced by the Barbican in association with Africa Oyé festival

Part of Project a Black Planet

Find out more

~

Sammy Baloji: Le Père Sauvage – A Poetic Memento of K(C)ongo

A new three‑part performance with Congolese artist Sammy Baloji will use music and visual art to explore Congo’s history, Pan-Africanism, and the journeys of the Black diaspora.

Known for his work with photography, video, and installation, Baloji explores untold stories and the legacies of colonialism by combining archival and contemporary imagery. This immersive performance unfolds in three acts, reimagining the traditional concert experience through shifting perspectives of sound and space.

Part I features Szymon Brzóska’s composition for trumpet, cello, and piano, inspired by Heart of Darkness (1899). Part II presents Pytshens Kambilo’s ensemble work drawing on 1970s Pan-Africanism. In the final act, Satch Hoyt performs a sound cartography from the Hall’s balcony, inverting the traditional concert experience. By blending electric flute and percussion with contemporary synthesised sounds and antique African instruments, he traces the journeys of Black people across the Atlantic.

Produced by the Barbican in association with Africa Oyé festival

Part of Project a Black Planet

Find out more