HEADPHONES JONES/THIS WAY ORKESTRA DOUBLE HEADER
January 4, 2025 @ 8:00 pm - 11:30 pm
A unique big band DOUBLE HEADER of Funk, Afrobeat, Ska + Afro-Latin vibes! Headphones Jones (MELB) + This Way Orkestra (ACT) will join forces for ONE NIGHT ONLY @ Smiths to start off your 2025 with dancing shoes firmly ON!
The bands met performing at the National Folk Festival and through a shared musical love of Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti + syncopated percussion. This unique double bill will be a special collaboration gig that will see percussionists + brass players from both bands cross-pollinate for maximum funk!
The show is part of Headphones Jones’ East Coast Tour where they will be on fire after playing the Woodford Folk Festival + part of This Way Orkestra’s debut EP funding campaign. DO NOT SLEEP ON THIS GIG!
Pack your suitcase for adventure! Funk explorers Headphones Jones serve up tasty grooves with a blend of Funk, Nigerian Afrobeat and Afro-Latin styles. With a reputation for high energy performances featuring both vocal and instrumental tunes, the 9-piece dance band invite you on a journey to move your feet and your heart. Watch out for colourful antics, big horns and driving rhythms. Dress loud, dance hard.
This Way Orkestra is Canberra’s very own enclave of Afrobeat + Ska + Reggae sounds – this 10-piece orchestra combines the mighty Afro-Funk of Nigeria’s Fela Kuti with a tight brass section and jazz + ska grooves – heavy dancefloor energy at all times! From West Belconnen to West Africa and beyond, this musical collective will keep your nyash shaking!
Formed in 2012 by Nicholas Combe and Simon Milman – two stalwarts of the local jazz and reggae scene in Canberra – the band further evolved in 2019 with some new additions, including a frontman Jim Sharock on vocals and percussion – flexing new musical influences beyond ska and Afrobeat to include reggae, ethio-jazz, and dub.