Bringing feelgood Afrobeat music from London, this mellow eight-piece collective takes its name from the Nigerian Urhobo dialect, meaning ‘be strong’. Their music celebrates a long running tradition of West African legends such as Fela Kuti, Tony Allen and Ebo Taylor, while giving it a 21st-century update with warm jazz and soul arrangements.

Combining trumpet, saxophone, trombone, guitar and percussion with gentle vocal harmonies, their sound rolls between swaying, laidback grooves and energetic, deep party vibes guaranteed to get an audience dancing. Previous releases have contained heartfelt messages, exploring modern politics, social commentary and cultural tropes of strong ‘Black superwomen’.

Their breakthrough came in 2018 with the song Abusey Junction, which has had almost 45 million YouTube views and last year they won Best Group at the Urban Music Awards. Nile Rodgers also invited Kokoroko to perform as part of the Meltdown festival that he curated, featuring his favourite artists.