After four albums packed with beautifully composed jazz, Sons Of Kemet announced that the band was “closing the chapter of the band’s life for the foreseeable future” after their 2022 live shows. This was a real blow to the jazz world, the Shabaka Hutchings lead band has been at the forefront of the genre since their debut in 2013. Their ability to blend so many decades of jazz into their music allows them to craft rich textures and joyous harmonies.
As part of their farewell run, the quartet stopped by the famous U.K. concert show From The Basement. The show recently returned to Youtube after being off-air since 2009, since their return they have brought in the hardcore band Idles for a performance and to juxtapose the distorted power chords of the British rockers, Hutchings and his band brought a lively, danceable performance to the basement.
Sons Of Kemet played a four song melody, all the songs performed appeared on what is now seeming to be the band’s last LP for a while, 2021’s Black To The Future. Kicking things off with a colorful performance of Pick Up Your Burning Cross, the band set off on a 20-minute space odyssey, bringing their horn-driven sonics to life for the Youtube series. Drummers Tom Skinner and Eddie Hick exercised their chemistry and traded off diving into deep pockets of bubbly grooves.
The band’s final string of shows kicks off on July 2 at the Open’er Festival in Poland. Their stint on the road will continue until their August 21 where they will cap off an undeniably impactful 9 year run. No word on if we will receive new music or more shows before the band officially calls it quits at the end of the year. With Skinner joining Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and Johnny Greenwood for their side project The Smile and Hutchings already involved in multiple other bands, Sons Of Kemet is seemingly nearing their final days.
