The Bush Theatre Hosts Babylon Festival

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With events celebrating global influence of black and brown people

Presented by Bush Theatre's Tobi Kyeremateng and Ruthie Osterman, the festival offers events including include music gigs, live podcast shows and main space takeovers from performance collectives.

Until Saturday, 9 February, the programme is:

Wednesday 6 February, 8pm - Skin Deep: Sonic Transmissions

Skin Deep is a London-based multimedia platform that amplifies voices of colour through the discussion of race, culture and politics.

Skin Deep curate an evening of conversation, live performance and collective listening. Join them for a sonic exploration of the immense creative influence of Black and Brown people on London culture.

Thursday 7 February, 8.30pm - Touching Bass plus Guests 8:30pm

Shy One (BBZ/Touching Bass) and Wu-Lu are two of the original members of South London’s Touching Bass: a movement of London-based soul disciples who hold down a biweekly NTS Radio residency, a discussion series called Speaking In Sound and a monthly dance (communicated via texting service) among other creative endeavours.

Touching Bass will be playing a live set of genre-bending tunes and feel-good music that’s guaranteed to get you up on your feet.

Friday 8 February, 6pm - Jay Jay Revlon’s Voguing Workshop

Jay Jay has become a major force in the London dance scene where he is credited with being instrumental to the rise of London’s voguing scene and has created the modern dance house the Kiki House of Tea and leading ballroom collective, English Breakfast London.
Described by Time Out as “one to watch”, DJ and dancer Jay Jay Revlon shuts down the Bush Theatre with the ultimate Voguing Workshop.

Bring your heels, lay on the glitter and prepare to strut your stuff.

Friday 8 February, 8pm - The Cocoa Butter Club

The Cocoa Butter Club brings you a one-off dazzling night of entertainment.

Showcasing and celebrating spectacular bodies of colour, The Cocoa Butter Club brings you quintessentially queer cabaret, with unmissable performances from the insatiable Rhys Pieces, Kemah Bob, Bunni Morretto, Chiyo, Jo Tyabji and the hostess with the mostess Sadie Sinner The Sogbird plus a nipple tassel makin’ and shakin’ workshop! Then, it’s pure melanin magic with our After Dark Dance Party.

Saturday, 9 February, 1pm - Female Muslim Creatives: Panel

Exploring the experiences of Muslim women curators and space makers in the modern art and literature world.

Female Muslim Creatives (FMC) are hosting a panel to explore the experiences of muslim women curators and creatives in the modern art world.

Saturday, 9 February, 5pm - gal-dem

Astrology has surged in popularity recently, and its got everything to do with the state of global politics.

While it’s not uncommon to see a rise in alternative spiritualities during times of political unrest, astrology maintains a unique relationship to the experiences of qtipoc+ folx, who don’t always resonate with the teachings of more traditional religious institutions. Join us for a panel discussion exploring how communities of colour can reclaim astrology to resist the negative forces clogging up the news cycle.

Saturday, 9 February, 8 - Sam Wise Plus Guests

Sam Wise’s youthful and energetic live presence has been honed through his performances on tour with House of Pharaohs – a UK rap collective who are shunning genre categories like grime or drill, in favour of blend hard-hitting beats with psychedelic flourishes.
The South London poet has disrupted the UK hip-hop scene with House of Pharaohs, before releasing his first solo offering “Lizzie” – which pairs his definitive bars with light and refreshing visuals.

7.30pm – House opens

8.30pm – Danny Tra$h

9.30pm – Sam Wise

Find out more and book tickets online at Babylon Festival.

It will be followed from 12 - 16 February with Babylon Beyond Borders, a live streamed performance happening simultaneously in four countries.

Four extraordinary theatres, each deeply rooted in their own community, explore their relationship to home, language and migration. A Brazilian activist at the Pequeno Ato Theatre in São Paulo performs with a chorus of women from Shepherd’s Bush. Musicians at Harlem Stage in New York City act out the experiences of students at the Market Theatre Lab in Johannesburg in a celebration of the possibility and power of cross border encounters.

Find out more and book tickets online at Babylon Beyond Borders.

February 5, 2019