Madalitso Band
Banjo Music Malawi
"Forget The White Stripes and their Seven Nation Army, and lock into the two-man musical army that is the Madalitso Band from Malawi, you will not be disappointed."
Folk Radio UK
Madalitso band are a two man musical army from Malawi. Described as ‘Uplifting and Vibrant’ by the BBC, they get a crowd to their feet and big smiling. Since they were discovered busking outside a shopping centre in 2009, the band has already performed at Womex, Womad, Roskilde, Sauti Za Busara, Sziget, MNT Bushfire, and many more all over the world, from the confines of Africa to the USA and almost everywhere in Europe. Also, their album are now produced by the famous swiss label Bongo Joe records. On stage, the band plays the babatone, a home-made instrument which is very popular in their country and a kind of four-string guitar as the malawian banjo, creating the traditional Malawi banjo sound. Around Malawi they are revered as musical prophets and take their audience by storm everywhere they play, whether on a beach, on a churh, on a village square or on the stage of a huge open air festival, definitly as an off-road band.
Album Musakayike
Intuitive, authentic, and full of ruthless rhythms, Madalitso will make you clap, dance, smile, and rethink everything you thought you knew about African sound and instrumentation. Musakayike, meaning ‘don’t doubt us’, is the second international release from Madalitso Band under Bongo Joe Records. It’s the duo shining and enjoying every minute of their time in the studio performing their upbeat music with joyful vocals, four-string guitar, babatoni and cow-skin kick drum. The experience they’ve had of performing around festival stages and recording in different studios shows in this new album which remains raw, just like Wasalala, but has something new in it. Songs like ‘Chikondi Sichiona Nkhope’ – ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder’ show they’re still churning out beautiful and meaningful lyrics, and it’s a very happy thing to finally have Jingo Janga on an album, since it has been the regular song played for an encore.
"Forget The White Stripes and their Seven Nation Army, and lock into the two-man musical army that is the Madalitso Band from Malawi ; you will not be disappointed." Folk Radio UK
news
2024 Tour in UK and France with more than 50 shows in two month and a half
Showcase for Womex in Manchester on october the 25
New album to be released by Bongo Joe Records in spring 2025
highlights
Womex, Womad, Roskilde, Sziget, Les Suds à Arles, Aux Heures d'été, Convivencia, Fusion Festival, FMM Sinès, Sfinks Mixed, Jazz à Vienne, MNT Bushfire, Festival des 5 Continents, Pod'Ring Festival, le 104, Guinguette Chez Alriq Bordeaux, Palp Festival, Cosmojazz, Shambala, Joshua Trre Music Festival, Acces Conference, Kennedy Center Millenium Stage, ...
tour 2024
31.05 MNT Bushfire FestivalMahlanya (ZA)
13.07 Festival Sonic Pluriverse Berlin (DE)
17.07 The Glad Café Glasgow (UK)
18.07 Band on the Wall Manchester (UK)
19.07 The Golden Lyon Todmorden (UK)
20.07 The Feather Start Wirsworth (UK)
21.07 The Forum Tunbridge Wells (UK)
22.07 Boileroom Guildford (UK)
23.07 Norwich Arts Center Norwich (UK)
24.07 The Marine Theatre Lyme Regis (UK)
25.07 Lost Horizon Bristol (UK)
26.07 The Cornish Bank Summer Camp Falmouth (UK)
27.07 Starry Village FestivalKentchurch (UK)
28.07 Secret Garden PartyAbbots Ripton (UK)
31.07 Hootanany London (UK)
01.08 Stroud Bevery Stroud (UK)
02.08 The Hives Moseley (UK)
03.08 Fanny’s Meadow Secret Place (UK)
04.08 Valley Festival Bristol (UK)
05.08 Woodburner Dalston Curve Garden (UK)
06.08 Sidmouth Fridge Festival Sidmouth (UK)
07.08 Boomtown Festival Winchester (UK)
08.08 Where Else ? Margate (UK)
10.08 Le Kilimanjaro Dunkerque (59)
13.08 Le Gorille Gap (05)
14.08 Abrix Bar Vallabrix (30)
15.08 Un Eté à Bourges Bourges (18)
16.08 Chez Narcisse Le Val d’Ajol (88)
17.08 Au Maquis Dijon (21)
20.08 L’Atelier des Possibles Pleumartin (86)
21.08 Le Parce-que Ciran (37)
23.08 Les Vendredis de Loguivy Ploubazlanec (22)
24.08 Un Été pas comme les Autres Romainville (93)
25.08 La Grange de l’Oiseau Bleu Arthel (58)
26.08 Les Petites Choses Pont-en-Royans (38)
28.08 Au Fil de l’ArbreRomans-sur-Isère (26)
29.08 Le Cheval Blanc Saint-Germain Laval (42)
30.08 Festival Sous le Barnum Saint-Jean-de-Trézy (71)
31.08 La Préfecture Virieu-le-Grand (01)
01.09 Tutti Matti Per Colorno Colorno (It)
06.09 Le Vex Bourg-lès-Valence (26)
07.09 La Lampisterie Brassac-les-Mines (63)
08.09 La Part des Autres Saint-Just-la-Pendue (42)
13.09 BC Prod Guillestre (05)
14.09 La Maison Éclusière Parcieux (01)
15.09 Les Agri-Culturelles Désaignes (07)
17.09 Librairie le Passage Lyon (69) TBA
18.09 Le Minimistan Grenoble (38) TBC
19.09 Festival Friction Annemasse (74)
20.09 Théâtre 71 – Scène NationaleMalakoff (71)
21.09 L’Alimentation Générale Paris (75)
22.09 Le 104 Paris (75)
25.10 WOMEX Manchester (UK)
Booking Info
Thibault +33 6 60 68 26 08
2 musicians + 1 tour manager, Need a sound engineer on site. Lilongwe, Malawi. Available July & August 2025
Yosefe Kalekeni - Banjo from Malawi, drum, voice
Yobu Malingwa - Babatone, voice