Gig review: African Head Charge at Project House, Leeds

A psychedelic percussion-led dub project centred on percussionist Bonjo Iyabinghi Noah and esteemed UK producer and dub scientist Adrian Sherwood, assisted by a revolving cast of collaborators, African Head Charge has mined the fertile territory between dub’s echo chamber activity, percussion and chanting in the traditional Jamaican nyabinghi style, psychedelically warped electronic textures and musical roots from the African continent for over four decades.

Last year’s album A Trip to Bolgatanga (released on Sherwood’s On-U Sound label) was a strikingly vibrant return after a 12-year gap in fresh material. Inspired by the environs of Bonjo’s current hometown in northern Ghana (which gives the album its title), the album’s eclectic combination of potent elements manages to sound simultaneously firmly rooted in tradition and boundlessly, even futuristically experimental, with percussion-led, by turns sweatily physical and weightlessly dreamy workouts that view African and Jamaican musical traditions through a psychedelically enhanced filter.

If African Head Charge’s initial aim was to find an authentic expression of the ‘vision of psychedelic Africa’ that steered My Life in The Bush of Ghosts, Brian Eno’s field recording and found sound-sampling 1981 ethnomusicology experiment with David Byrne, A Trip to Bolgatanga might just be the most undeniably infectious proof that that the mission has been successfully completed.

All of which makes tonight’s uneven performance seem somewhat underwhelming. Although scheduled to be part of tonight’s performance, Sherwood isn’t present at the busy Project House. It’s not clear to what extent (if at all) Sherwood helps steer the live sound of Bonjo and the touring musicians.

However, when current seven-piece African Head Charge live band takes to the stage after the energized DJ sets (complete with live singers) from veteran bassist (notably with Killing Joke) and producer Youth and dub legend Mad Professor, the set is deflated by an imbalanced mix that can make the music seem stodgy and dense where it’s clearly intended to be more nuanced and soaring.

This can make the dynamic ebb and flow of the performance seem haltingly stop-and-start, as when a positively rumbling percussion-fest rooted on Asalatua (one of the new album’s highlights) mellows into a sprawling instrumental excursion that remains rooted to the spot.

Even so, there is no denying the spirit of the ensemble: at one point, one of Bonjo’s two touring co-percussionists balances a chair on his head without a missing a beat, and Bonjo rallies the crowd infectiously throughout.

On tonight’s evidence, however, African Head Charge’s idiosyncratic rhythmic exuberance is best suited to the studio.