A ONE-MAN band from Malawi, who went viral playing his three-metre bass guitar with a beer bottle and a stick, will be performing in Tameside.
Gasper Neil, who has released two albums so far, clocked up 20 million views singing with his homemade babatoni guitar on the shore of Lake Malawi.
Gasper plays his oversized, handcrafted bass – featuring just one string which was salvaged from a car tyre – by sliding a beer bottle up and down the neck and hitting the string with a stick.
Adding to the rhythm is a cow skin kick drum, with a handmade wooden pedal.
His song A Bale Ndikuwuzeni, which means People I Want To Tell You, in 2015 went viral across Facebook and YouTube a couple of years after it was first released.
Musician Joss Stone saw the clip and travelled to Malawi to jam with him.
Gasper has since gone on to tour the UK and Europe, including spots at both WOMAD and Glastonbury.
He will be coming to Mossley to perform at The Vale, where he will be reunited with the venue’s co-founder – musician Leon Patel.
Leon was running a music project with school groups in Nkhata Bay on the shores of Lake Malawi back in 2008. He was surprised to hear music coming from down near the water and when he went to investigate, he discovered Gasper with his babatoni.
The pair struck up conversation and Leon, a percussion player, was delighted when Gasper gave him a homemade kick pedal and a tape of his music.
“Bumping into Gasper at the lakeside was totally random and I was blown away by his music,” Leon said.
“I went back later that day and we had a jam together. When his video went viral, I recognised him and his unique sound – and his enormous bass guitar – at once.
“We’re very excited to welcome Gasper to The Vale and to be bringing a musician of his calibre to Mossley.
“Though he sings in the Chichewa language, the rhythms and melodies of his music and his dynamic performance make his songs instantly accessible. His sound is so joyful I challenge anyone to hear it and not start to dance.”
Gasper will be supported at The Vale by Michael Mountain, a Malawian Rastafarian musician who is also a small-scale farmer and a village chief.
The gig will be on Thursday, October 19, at the venue on Micklehurst Road. Tickets are £15 for adults and £12.50 for concessions.
Get yours at https://www.the-vale.co.uk/event/gasper-nali/