Femi Kuti @ The Shrine

Well, what can I say... THE MAN of Afrobeat music, son of Fela Kuti, Femi Kuti - AKA the Nigerian James Brown - is back in Lagos!

When he's not touring the globe, Femi plays at the Afrika Shrine - a club his old man set up back when He was the man in lagos (he died 10 years ago of AIDS unfortunately)... But since then the Shrine has become an icon of anti-establishment music, sung mainly in pidgin for the everyday Nigerians to have a voice and stand up against the various military dictators and corrupt politicians that have had a go at running this place since independence. You can check Femi at at myspace here.

The shrine itself is just that - a huge open sided barn the size of three or for tennis courts, with a high roof and pictures of prominent black civil rights activists all over the walls.

If you come to the Shrine, you're there for a good time - not a long time. So, whilst there is a bar up the back, there's a bunch of stalls outside that sell spirits by the bottle and all sort of interesting stuff. The result being lots of loud young men getting rather excited and a thick haze of "india hemp" (as the locals call it) smoke. Seriously, the haze in these photos ain't just because it's dark... Personally, I'm happy to stick with warmish bottles of the local brew Star which tastes more like formaldehyde than beer, but it's better than nothing.



So anyway, I been to this place last year once and it was so much fun I jumped at another opportunity - this time taking Rachel and Sarah for their first taste the Shrine. Femi, the showman that he is, has a stack of half a dozen different saxes and trumpets etc up the front of the stage for himself (plus a two tier Hammond organ) so you'd think he'd just do it all himself. But hey, why bother when you've got a twenty-piece backing band including dancers!!



As all these photos were shot in low light (and through a thick fog) there's a little blur. Particularly when everyone's gyrating at light speed up on stage, and running around the dance floor like people possessed. Some the results were interesting... (weird ghost dancers...)




Anyway, as usual in this place, there comes a time when stuff gets just a little too crazy and it's time to leave. A great night, and if Femi Kuti is ever in town DEFINITELY check him out (he'd just finished lulapalooza before coming back to Lagos this time). I must appologise to Mas - this time I didn't go dancing... sorry-o, too much pounded yam for belly