Photo: Joe Hart
Church Of Sound are celebrating their tenth anniversary, and to mark the occasion, they are launching a new record label, and its first compilation, Clapton Hymns, Vol. 1: 10 Years of Church of Sound (2016-2026), featuring twelve of the series’ most iconic live recordings out of an archive of over 130 performances. A community-built event series based out of St. James the Great church in Hackney, London, Church of Sound became a beloved and vital hub for emerging and established artists. Over the past ten years, it has hosted shows from the likes of Makaya McCraven, Jeff Parker, Yussef Dayes, Moses Boyd, Tom Skinner, Nubya Garcia, Moor Mother, Kokoroko, Yazz Ahmed, and many more.
Last month they shared lead single ‘Do What You Gotta Do’ from Kaidi Tatham & The First Word All Stars featuring singer Vanessa Freeman. Now, ahead of the compilation release on November 20th, Church of Sound are giving us another taste of what’s comingt with ‘Never (Lagos Never Gonna Be The Same)’ by the late Tony Allen, lifted from his album Rejoice. The legendary Fela Kuti drummer and Afrobeat founder performed at Church of Sound in March 2020 as part of a two-night residency which turned out to be his final live performances. Addressing Allen directly, Dele Sosimi, who was part of Fela Kuti’s Egypt 80 band in 1979 and collaborated with the him numerous times, shared his thoughts on Allen’s final performance:
“You gave me your phone on concert day one and said, ‘Record the performance, as I have never, ever played in a church,’ to which I remarked, ‘I can imagine Felá and Bra Hugh having a good laugh at the irony!’ As we said our goodbyes on the 13th of March, ìfura [premonition] flashed through my mind for a fleeting moment, too quickly for me to ponder on. Your ascension was 48 days later, to become an Òrìshà [divine spirit]! Memories are brought back to life here in this visual offering, and I remember changing the lyrics backstage to: ‘Afrobeat never gonna be the same, never, without Tony.’ How surreal.”
‘Never (Lagos Never Gonna Be The Same)’ is offered with a video of the live recording and you can watch it below.
