Cessnock Performing Arts Centre will launch its 2020 season on Friday, February 7 with a night of entertainment as hot as the summer sun.
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Nine-piece band Bakoomba will bring their blistering blend of Afrobeat, reggae, funk and Afro-jazz to the season launch.
Led by charismatic Senegalese frontman Fode Mane, Bakoomba has performed at multiple leading Australian festivals (including Vivid Sydney, Byron Bay Blues and Roots Festival, Peats Ridge Festival and the Great Escape), and has supported international artists such as Maxi Priest, Katchafire, The Wailers and Michael Franti.
Fode Mane spent 20 years travelling the globe as an artist - including a stint as a principal performer in Senegal's leading dance and percussion troupe, Bakalama - before calling Australia home. His passion and intensity for music and dance is projected throughout each performance.
He named the band Bakoomba after a sacred meeting place close to his heart in Senegal; a space where men and women gather to dance under the stars together and fall in love.
Fode is joined on stage by a group of established musicians who have been performing, recording and teaching for years - a collective of talented musicians consisting of a hard-driving rhythm section, slick horns and sassy female vocals covered in a layer of tasty percussion.
Each member brings a unique and adventurous style to the stage, resulting in tight, dynamic arrangements and killer solos that build into a powerful wall of solid fusion grooves.
Bakoomba's high-energy, interactive show captivates crowds and has everyone up on their feet in a dancing frenzy wherever they go - the perfect way to kick off CPAC's 2020 season.
The evening will also provide a preview of some of the amazing shows featured on this year's program (which boasts an impressive variety of music, comedy, drama and kids' shows).
A selection of canapés and sparkling wine will be served in the foyer from 7.15pm, followed by an evening of entertainment in the auditorium from 8pm.
Tickets are now on sale at the CPAC box office, by phone on 4993 4266 or online at cessnockperformingartscentre.com.au.
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Krystal Sellars
Krystal Sellars is the Senior Journalist at the Cessnock Advertiser. Born and raised in Cessnock, she started her journalism career at the Advertiser in 2006 after completing a Bachelor of Communication at the University of Newcastle. Contact her on krystal.sellars@cessnockadvertiser.com.au.
Krystal Sellars is the Senior Journalist at the Cessnock Advertiser. Born and raised in Cessnock, she started her journalism career at the Advertiser in 2006 after completing a Bachelor of Communication at the University of Newcastle. Contact her on krystal.sellars@cessnockadvertiser.com.au.
