Event type: Music

Africa Oyé 2026

 

 

The 2026 edition of Africa Oyé is bringing together Afrobeats stars, reggae legends, Afro-futurist innovators and internationally acclaimed live acts from across Africa and the diaspora.

Returning to Sefton Park on 20–21 June 2026, the festival continues its long-standing reputation as the UK’s biggest celebration of African and Caribbean music and culture.

Leading the bill is Malian singer-songwriter Fatoumata Diawara, the Grammy-nominated artist known for blending Wassoulou traditions with contemporary Afro-futurist sounds. A frequent collaborator with Damon Albarn and Africa Express, Diawara has become one of the most respected global voices in modern African music and is expected to deliver one of the weekend’s standout performances.

Joining her is Nigerian Afrobeats heavyweight Patoranking, making his Liverpool debut. Known for huge crossover tracks like “My Woman, My Everything”, “Babylon” and “Abule”, Patoranking brings a mix of Afrobeats, reggae and dancehall that has helped make him one of the genre’s biggest international stars. Festival organisers have described him as a major cultural ambassador for African music.

Reggae and lovers rock fans will also be excited to see Janet Kay make her Africa Oyé debut. Often referred to as the “Queen of Lovers Rock”, Kay made history as the first Black British-born female reggae artist to top the UK charts with her classic hit “Silly Games”. Her appearance adds a strong UK reggae presence to the programme.

One of the most visually striking acts on the lineup is Fulu Miziki, the Kinshasa-based eco-punk collective who build instruments and costumes from recycled materials. Their performances combine experimental Afro-futurist music, performance art and environmental activism, creating a chaotic and highly theatrical live experience unlike anything else on the festival circuit.

The lineup also includes a range of artists showcasing traditional and contemporary sounds from across the continent and wider diaspora. Ghanaian musician King Ayisoba brings his raw, hypnotic fusion of traditional Kologo music and modern rhythms, while Senegalese artist Oumy adds a more soulful contemporary West African sound to the weekend.

Other confirmed acts include:

  • Nana Benz Du Togo — a feminist electro-soul trio blending voodoo traditions with electronic rhythms.
  • Kizaba — known for his futuristic fusion of Afrobeat, soukous and electronic music.
  • Kobo Town — bringing Caribbean calypso and roots influences.
  • Ghorwane — legendary pioneers of Mozambican marrabenta music.
  • Awale Jant Band — delivering energetic West African dance music.

The festival’s DJ programme is also returning with respected broadcasters and selectors including DJ Edu and Seani B helping soundtrack the weekend beyond the main stage performances.

Beyond the music, Africa Oyé 2026 will again feature the Oyé Village, showcasing food, crafts, workshops, family activities and community arts from across Africa and the Caribbean, maintaining the festival’s wider cultural focus as much more than simply a music event.

 

 

O Taste and See: the golden age of polyphony from Arcadelt to Weekes

 

 

A choral concert of unaccompanied Renaissance music including works by Byrd, Ceballos, Isaac, Josquin, Lassus as well as Arcadelt and Weekes, performed by Liverpool Renaissance Singers at Liverpool Parish Church, Our Lady and St Nicholas at 7.30pm on Wednesday the 8th of July at 7.30pm. Tickets are £12 online in advance from Ticketsource or on the door. Children under 16 are free as well as a registered disabled person with a carer. Refreshments will be available for donations at the end of the concert. The same programme will be performed at St Cuthbert’s Church Halsall near Ormskirk on Saturday 11th of July at 7.30pm when tickets will be £10 via Ticketsource in advance or on the door.

Ticketsource link:

https://www.ticketsource.com/liverpool-renaissance-singers

 

The Overtones: Up Close and Personal

Get closer than ever to the UK’s favourite vocal harmony group, The Overtones, as they return in 2027 with their Up Close and Personal hit tour. 

Known for their slick dance routines, pitch-perfect vocals and effortless charm, this ‘awesome foursome’ is back with a show that’s both intimate and packed with feel-good energy. 

Alongside the tight vocal arrangements and show-stopping performances, Mike, Mark, Darren and Jay will share personal stories from their journey, offering a rare glimpse behind the music.  

Expect a mix of Motown, soul, doo-wop and pop classics, alongside new material and some of their own favourites, all delivered in their signature vintage style with a modern edge. 

Combining nostalgia with contemporary showmanship, this uplifting night of music and storytelling captures the magic that has made this multi-platinum selling group a household name.  

It’s a relaxed, feel-good night of music, stories and plenty of harmonies, bringing you closer than ever to The Overtones. 

Reviews: 

“One of the UK’s most popular and prolific acts” – HELLO Magazine 

“Perfect harmonies, just fabulous” – Sky News 

“Pure Swagger” – Attitude Magazine 

Fleetwood Bac

Fleetwood Bac were the world’s first and are regarded as the UK’s most authentic Fleetwood Mac Tribute show, raved about by Peter Green’s biographer, and were the first Fleetwood Mac tribute band to fully replicate the classic Stevie, Lindsey, Christine, John & Mick ‘Rumours’ line-up. 

 Over the many years Fleetwood Bac have been together the band has received rave reviews from ‘The Stage’ newspaper, the U.K.s leading Fleetwood Mac fansites, the official Stevie Nicks website; and from ecstatic audiences wherever the band played, wowing audiences as far afield as Dubai, St. Tropez, the Cayman Islands and Monte Carlo, and twice selling out the world-famous Minack Theatre in Cornwall.  

Fleetwood Bac has also been rated by The Times newspaper as one of the U.K.’s top 5 tributes, alongside The Bootleg Beatles, Bjorn Again and the Counterfeit Stones. Fans have included original Mac bassist and biographer Bob Brunning, who joined the band several times on stage, and Peter Green’s official biographer Martin Celmins. 

The sound, the look, the mystical atmosphere and on-stage chemistry are all portrayed with passion and energy, the band have built up an excellent reputation amongst Mac fans through numerous tours, festival appearances, corporate events and TV and radio slots all over the U.K. and Europe. 

The Fleetwood Bac show focuses on the ‘Rumours’ era of the band (still the 5th biggest-selling album of all time). It also features several songs from the Peter Green days, plus some of Stevie’s biggest solo hits, in either a theatrical 2-hour show, including costume changes and an acoustic section, or a one-hour Greatest Hits Show, specially tailored for corporate events. 

 

Dr Alimantado

The legendary Jamacian artist, Dr Alimantado, best known for his iconic album “The Best Dressed Chicken in Town” comes to Birkenhead.

Dusty Echoes: Lone Frontier Album Launch

Dusty Echoes is a brand new Americana project, created by Reuben George & Rea Fortis at their home studio in Liverpool, UK. It began as the simple but abstract idea of a one-off EP in a genre they’ve never explored before, but soon blossomed into a labour of love, into which they’ve both poured all their creativity and songwriting skill for the past 2 years. The resulting 5 songs, which form their first EP “Lone Frontier”, reach across genres to include elements of country music, folk, rock, blues, soul and even hints of New Orleans jazz.

 

Unable to deny that this EP has culminated in some of their best composition, production and vocal performances, Reuben & Rea have already begun to sound out ideas for future releases with Dusty Echoes. What was once intended to be a solitary and online-only release will now be launched with a first Dusty Echoes live performance on the EP’s release day, with more live shows to follow.

 

 

Despite drawing from a wide range of artists and genres “Lone Frontier” is undeniably steeped in a Western feel, evoking songs from films, TV and games in the way each track tells a story: and paints the picture to go with it. You’ll hear elements of classic Americana; the influence of artists like Johnny Cash, Marty Robins, Paul Simon and Bobbie Gentry, but also more genre-defying songwriters like Nina Simone, Marion Black, and D’Angelo. Hints of some modern European inspirations in the songwriters’ listening rotation too, like KALEO and Ferris & Sylvester, which leave the listener with the feeling of songs which could almost have been written in any decade of the last 60 years, but were definitely produced in this one.

 

Joined by their full 5 piece band in the warm and intimate Prohibition Recording Studios, get your scarf and boots on, ready for a journey across uncharted lands. You’ll visit familiar songs while being introduced to the raw and unfiltered blend of Dusty Echoes’ signature sound. Get ready for original merch, incredible support and a chance to hear this sound for yourself.

 

Rhythms & Mixes: A Night with Simona Abdallah, DJ Hiba Salameh, and MUSYS

Join Liverpool Arab Arts Festival and Savera UK for a night of exhilarating rhythms and mixes from three powerful female musicians of Arab heritage: internationally renowned percussionist Simona Abdallah; Palestinian music producer, filmmaker and DJ, Hiba Salameh, and Jordanian sound artist, creative producer and DJ, Yasmeen Soudani (MUSYS).

Celebrating her virtuosity on the darbuka, an instrument traditionally dominated by men, Simona will bring her rhythmic energy to Rough Trade, Liverpool in a powerful solo set, before showcasing her unparalleled improvisational skills performing with DJ Hiba Salameh and MUSYS.

Named by Mixmag as ‘one of the Palestinian DJs you need to know’, DJ Hiba Salameh’s electrifying sets navigate through the wide universe of electronic music blending the huge heritage of Arabic music with its counterparts from the planet’s southern hemisphere.

MUSYS plays experimental electronica shaped by nostalgia and futurist Arab themes. She has played across the country from the Jazz Cafe to Royal Albert Hall. As a sound artist, her practice explores migration, land and collective identity, drawing on archaeology, sonic cultures and imagined futures.

This is a standing event only

14+ (Under 16s with Adult)

Dylan LeBlanc – 10 Years of Cautionary Tale

Dylan LeBlanc is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who often finds himself flirting with the edge — or “dancing on a razor,” as he calls it — as it is all he has ever known.

A verdict vagabond since he was a little boy tossed between Texas, Louisiana, and Alabama, LeBlanc thrives on the precipice, never staying in one place for too long.

Future Yard are excited to welcome him to the live room for the 10th anniversary of acclaimed album Cautionary Tale: a collection of shimmering, arresting songs with haunting vocals and a sharpened edge honed by hastened maturity.

Chris Difford

Chris Difford co-wrote the classic Squeeze hits Cool For Cats, Up The Junction, Labeled with Love, Tempted, and Black Coffee In Bed, alongside Squeeze co founder Glenn Tilbrook. He has co written with Elton John, Jools Holland and worked along side such great people as Bryan Ferry while hosting songwriting workshops for over 30 years. He’ll be touring in Spring 2027, armed with a new book, for an evening of classic hits hilarious conversation and readings from the book itself. 

Moolakii Club: Silent Film Soundtracks

An immersive evening of obscure silent films with live electronic soundtracks.

Back this Spring for its third series, Moolakii Club returns with the ever-popular Live Soundtracks to Silent Films – a distinctive audiovisual night blending avant-garde cinema with live experimental electronica.

What to expect

Rare silent films are projected on the big screen while electronic artists perform original soundtracks live, reacting to the visuals in real time.
Nothing is pre-recorded.
No two nights are ever the same.
The result is a shared, immersive experience – cinematic, atmospheric, and deeply engaging.

Featuring

+ Mark Peters
+ Wooden Tape
+ Mayassa

Each artist creates a unique live score, written and performed specifically for the films shown on the night.

Film details to follow

This night is for you if you are:

A fan of experimental, ambient & cinematic electronica
A lover of obscure and early film
Looking for something genuinely different
No prior knowledge needed – just curiosity and an open mind.

First Film 7:30pm

Tickets

Very limited capacity.
Advance booking strongly recommended – these events regularly sell out.

If you’ve experienced it before, you know how special it is.
If you haven’t, this Spring edition is the perfect place to start.

Tell your mates. Grab your tickets. We’ll see you there