Nubiyan Twist bring new their album ‘Find Your Flame’ to Project House

Written by Jess O’Brien, edited by Millie Cain.

Nine-piece band from Leeds, Nubiyan Twist, launched their fourth album, Find Your
Flame, at Project House on Friday 24th May, as part of the Leeds Jazz Festival 2024.
After having seen their outstanding performance in Sheffield with their previous
album, Freedom Fables (2021), I couldn’t wait to see what they had in store for their
next show.

Nubiyan Twist throw afro-funk, jazz, hip-hop, dancehall and reggae sounds into their
eclectic mix in the new album, featuring the likes of Nile Rodgers and Corto Alto. The
album is introduced with an important message about wasting time with constant
worry, stress, and work. It then moves into a disco sounding tune featuring Nile
Rodgers. The album consists of impressive alto sax solos, uplifting afro-beats and
beautiful harmonies backing all the songs. The album also spans many languages,
including Patois from Aziza Jaye in ‘So Mi Stay’ and Bambara from Mamani Keita in
‘Slow Breath’. K.O.G also brings his Ghanaian sound to the album with another
collaboration on my personal favourite, ‘Pray For Me Part 2’.

The show opened with an up and coming band, Heritage, from Leeds, who
stormed the stage with so much energy, I can’t wait to hear more of them in the
future. By the time Nubiyan Twist came onto the stage, the venue was completely filled and wrestling with anticipation. They can certainly pull a crowd of all ages, with gigs in Leeds often attracting either a younger or older crowd, but on Friday they proved that their genre-bending music is
for everyone.

The lead vocalist, Aziza Jaye, brought so much fun and intimacy to the
performance, engaging with and enlivening the crowd. There was a clear theme of
gratitude for women throughout the concert, especially during ‘Woman’, as
well as the experience of bringing new life into the world with ‘Carry Me’. The lead
guitarist, Tom Excell, took a moment midway through the gig to outline the message
of his lyrics and the inspiration he took from having his first son two years ago. Not
only did they perform their newest songs, but they also performed some of their most
loved songs from previous years, they have especially rekindled my love for their last
album with their unforgettable performance of ‘If I Know’ (feat. K.O.G).
It’s no surprise that Nubiyan Twist filled the venue in their hometown, and with such
fun, upbeat music, I think their music would be a lot of fun at a festival rather than in an
overcrowded gig space. However, I still left the gig not only with a fresh perspective
of their new album, but also with a newfound enjoyment for their uplifting sound.

It was great to hear the main message that they wanted the audience to take away
was that despite some real challenges for some of the band members over the last
few years, Find Your Flame is about taking that negativity and using music to turn
the bad into good. They have found their flame, and now they are passing the torch
for us all to do the same.

Nubiyan Twist will be touring the UK until the end of August. Don’t miss your
chance to see them this summer!