Afel bocoum:
return of the messenger
28.01.2026MWLDAN, 7.30pm
For over three decades, legendary musician Afel Bocoum has been a guardian of Mali's Niger River musical soul. A musical companion to Mali's late great desert blues pioneer Ali Farka Touré, he launched a solo career with debut album in 1999, Alkibar (The Messenger), and gained international recognition through collaborations with Damon Albarn, including 2002's Mali Music. Now, as one of the Sahel's most beloved artists and ambassador for endangered instruments like the njurkel lute and njarka fiddle, Bocoum is set to release singles from his new album Harber in 2026, accompanied by a 13-date UK tour in January.
£20 (£19) + 10% booking fees (capped at £3 max)
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“Afel Bocoum’s consoling voice is a call for hope, unity, and togetherness. He offers us light and joy, distilling an energy that gives us goosebumps”
pons aelius
Progressive instrumental folk
24.04.2026SMALL WORLD THEATRE, 8.30pm (doors 8pm)
After crossing paths in the northern city of Newcastle Upon Tyne, six young musicians immediately began to share tunes, eventually forming Pons Aelius. With two albums under their belts and a third on the way, the band have extensively toured the UK and Europe over the last ten years, bringing their much-loved live energy to stages such as Celtic Connections, Towersey Festival and Priddy Folk Festival to name but a few.
Driven by a dynamic frontline of bagpipes and whistles (Jordan Aikin), flute (Sam Partridge), tenor banjo and mandolin (Tom Kimber), the band are a melodic force to be reckoned with. Pons Aelius are proud to feature one of the scene’s leading all-human rhythm sections, comprising Callum Younger (bodhrán kit innovator), Alasdair Paul (guitar/bouzouki) and Bevan Morris (double bass). With these powerful tools at their disposal, they are masters of both subtlety and intensity, exploring the capabilities of these acoustic instruments and producing a formidable sound together.
£17
cerys hafana
Welsh triple harpist and composer
05.06.2026SMALL WORLD THEATRE, 8pm (doors 7.30pm)
Cerys Hafana is a Welsh composer, singer and multi-instrumentalist who mangles, mutates, and transforms traditional music. Cerys comes from Machynlleth, Wales, where rivers and roads meet on the way to the sea.
Hafana's primary instrument is the Welsh triple harp with which they explore all its creative possibilities and unique qualities, playing with found sounds, archival materials and electronic processing. Their spellbinding music is rich with atmosphere and heart and stubbornly resistant to genre boxes and easy classification.
Cerys has won over audiences from End Of the Road to the Eisteddfod and from BBC 6 Music Festival to Transmusicales with their magical, progressive sound.
£17
“Alternating between Welsh-language songs and instrumental pieces, Hafana essays a bold mix of folk tradition and auteur experimentalism ...”