Parviz + Marine Quéméré

Parviz and Marine Quéméré play Sidney & Matilda on Friday 20 November, with the music running from 7:30pm to 10:30pm. It's a double bill in the cultural quarter, and the headliner brings a sound that's hard to pin to one spot.

Parviz is a Persian indie-funk project based in Toulouse, France, and the whole thing is built around Iran's music scene in the 1970s. It's a mix of psych, funk and Persian classical sounds, held together by detuned synths and a DIY feel. The self-titled debut album is slated for 2026, and it looks back to the country's pre-revolutionary years. The lead single, 'Azadeh' — a female given name meaning independence — nods to the 'Woman, Life, Freedom' movement. That one came with artwork by Rana Fadavi and a music video directed by Steph Hope, who's worked with Stones Throw, and was mastered by Katie Tavini, who's done work for Arlo Parks and Los Bitchos.

'Sappho's Fragments' has already aired on BBC Radio 6 and passed half a million streams, and the music has also found its way onto BBC Radio 1 and FIP. On record, piercing guitars and flowing detuned synthesizers create a dreamy, psychedelic atmosphere, while the DIY aesthetics and indie influences keep it rooted in Persian culture. The genres it touches on run from jazz-funk and psychedelic rock to indie pop, indie funk and retro soul, so it's a broad tent of a sound.

It's a long evening of music, starting at 7:30pm and running through to 10:30pm at Sidney & Matilda, Rivelin Works, in the cultural quarter.