"ATOMIC BOMB! Who is William Onyeabor?," in which all-star lineup performs the elusive Nigerian artist's futuristic, synth-heavy electronic music from the 1970s and '80s, comes to the U.S. May 2 - 6 following tremendously acclaimed UK performances that took place April 1 at the Barbican in London and April 2 at Colston Hall in Bristol. The Stateside dates: May 2 & 3 at BAM in Brooklyn (U.S. premiere, co-presented by BAM, Luaka Bop and Red Bull Music Academy), May 6 at the Warfield in San Francisco, and May 8 at the Greek in Los Angeles, sponsored by KCRW. The events mark the first time Onyeabor's music is being performed live.
Performing at the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, a highlight of a month-long, citywide music festival from Red Bull Music Academy, will be David Byrne, Alexis Taylor (Hot Chip), Money Mark, Sinkane, Pat Mahoney (LCD Soundsystem), Luke Jenner (The Rapture), the legendary Lijadu Sisters of Nigeria, in their first live performance in 30 years, and saxophonist Joshua Redman. The same roster of musicians, plus Kele Okereke (Bloc Party) and minus Luke Jenner, will perform May 6 in San Francisco and May 8 in Los Angeles. (Okereke will not perform at BAM as previously announced; Devonté Hynes will replace him.
The UK concerts, which were sold out months in advance and had the seated audience dancing in their chairs, garnered four- or five-star reviews from The Times, The Independent, The Evening Standard and The Financial Times, and rave reviews from numerous music magazines.Videos