Eight-piece afro-funk collective Ibibio Sound Machine bring West African rhythms, electronic textures and post-punk to The Liquid Room.
Ibibio Sound Machine play The Liquid Room on Friday 23 October, their first Edinburgh date in a while. They're an eight-piece collective that blends West African rhythms with electronic textures, disco, post-punk and global club energy — a sound they describe as afro-futurist. The name comes from the Ibibio people of south-eastern Nigeria, and that West African influence runs through everything they do, though they've spent the last decade pulling in sounds from all over the place.
They formed in London in 2013 around the vocals of British-Nigerian frontwoman Eno Williams and co-founder Max Grunhard. Since then, they've released five critically acclaimed albums and played stages across the world, including Glastonbury, WOMAD Australia & NZ, Wilderness, 6Music Festival, Green Man and Rock En Seine. They've also supported Coldplay at Wembley Stadium, appeared twice on Later... With Jools Holland and recorded a KEXP live session. Their sixth album is due later in 2026 on Merge records, so this show comes as they're preparing for a new release.
Critics have described their sound as 'vibrant Afro-funk', 'kaleidoscopic, euphoric, high-energy' and a 'cosmopolitan blend of West African funk and electronic bass music'. It's a big band — eight people on stage — and the set pulls from that mix of dancefloor energy and post-punk edge. If you've followed them since the early records, you'll recognise the core sound; if you're coming in fresh, it's a good place to start before the new album arrives.
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Tickets are £25 plus booking fee, and the show starts at 7:00 PM at The Liquid Room on Victoria Street.
