Energetic duo head to Leamington

Sekou Kouyate, part of the world-renouned band Ba Cissoko, has been playing with the New Yorker now for some time.

Driscoll, who since moving to the UK in 2003 has been part of the OneTaste collective, said: “I was paired up to collaborate with Sekou Kouyate at a French festival called ‘Nuit Metis’ - ‘Nights of Mixed Race’ - just outside of Marseille.

“We spent a week jamming and improvising, and luckily my dictaphone was always on the table. There was an instant and palpable chemistry there, and over the following months whenever not on the road, we were writing and recording in Marseille.”

Driscoll’s familiar mix of rapping, folk and blues is combined with and made to sound very different by the basslines of Kouyate’s electronically-enhanced kora and the two contrasting vocallists come together to produce an energetic sound.

Sekou Kouyate, originally from Conakry, Guinea, was raised in a large family with a strong musical tradition. The Hendrix comparison comes from his unique style of playing with various effects, in a variety of genres and with an extreme intensity.

Driscoll’s first album Origin Myths came out in 2007 and the follow-up Mixtape Champs in 2011. As well as instruments on the latter including didgeridoo, loop pedal, harmonica, melodica and turntables, the album saw appearances from Ghanian drummer Etse Brown and Guinean kora player Kandia Kouyate.

The gig takes place at the pub in Clarendon Avenue on Saturday at 9pm. Entry is free. To find out more, call 460036.