From Mali to Japan: A World of Music Comes to Kings Place
Songlines Encounters returns to Kings Place for its 15th anniversary with an expanded 2026 series bringing musicians from Mali, Japan, Gambia, Ireland, Armenia, Belarus, Poland and beyond to King’s Cross.
The series has been extended across the year, bringing a wide range of international music to Kings Place, from West African guitar and kora to Japanese folk, Irish traditional music and the music of the Belarusian-Polish borderlands.
Music from Mali
Malian guitarist Samba Touré joins the programme on 27 September. His music draws on the traditions of Northern Mali while bringing in blues-rock, psychedelia, ballads and love songs.
His latest album, Baarakelaw (The Workers), continues that mix of traditional and contemporary influences.
Samba Touré
27 September
A Belarusian-Polish village party
Hajda Banda explore the traditional music of Podlasie in eastern Poland, western Belarus and the Polesye wetlands, using acoustic village instruments including violin, hammered dulcimer, Polish accordion and frame drum.
Their Songlines Encounters performance is billed as a Polish-Belarusian Party, bringing the music of the borderlands into a live setting.
Hajda Banda: Polish-Belarusian Party
8 October
Irish tradition meets contemporary music
Irish fiddle player Martin Hayes performs with cellist Kate Ellis on 26 November.
Hayes is one of the major figures in Irish traditional music, while Ellis is known for her work in contemporary music. Their performance brings the two traditions together.
Martin Hayes & Kate Ellis
26 November
Japanese folk, reworked
Minyo Crusaders take traditional Japanese folk songs and give them a very different setting.
The Japanese big band combines min’yō songs with Latin, African, Caribbean and Asian rhythms. Their line-up includes percussion, saxophone, trumpet, keyboards, guitar and bass, alongside the traditional folk vocals of singer Freddy Tsukamoto.
The songs themselves have deep roots in everyday working life, having originally been sung by Japanese fishermen, coal miners and sumo wrestlers.
Minyo Crusaders
27 November
West African music with a 700-year history
On 14 June, kora player Suntou Susso performs with the Gambian Superstars in their debut UK performance.
Susso comes from the griot tradition, which has passed down music and oral histories in West Africa for centuries. His ensemble combines Mandinka musical traditions with funk and jazz.
Suntou Susso & the Gambian Superstars
14 June
Also on the programme
The new additions join a line-up that already includes British-Burundian singer Muco, Malian ngoni player Bassekou Kouyaté and griot singer Amy Sacko, Mostar Sevdah Reunion from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Occitan duo Cocanha and Armenian tar player and singer Miqayel Voskanyan.
Songlines Encounters began in 2011 as a collaboration between Kings Place and Songlines magazine, bringing international artists to the venue. For its 15th anniversary, the series has been expanded across the year.
Songlines Encounters 2026
Kings Place, 90 York Way, King’s Cross, London N1 9AG
Tickets are on sale through Kings Place.
Elena Leo is the Culture & Lifestyle Editor of Ikon London Magazine.
