Laal and Asian Dub Foundation will Perform a Peace Concert on 27th May at The Alchemy Festival
Laal is a popular Pakistani band which symbolizes South Asia’s progressive writers movement and many of their songs are inspired by the poetry of Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Habib Jalib. Their music is a unique fusion of dance, electronica, folk and rock. Its members are Taimur Rahman, Mahvash Waqar and Haider Rahman. Since 2009 they have released three albums. They are also deeply involved in social activism and have raised their voice for pressing issues such child labour, gender equality, minorities, political corruption and violence.
Asian Dub Foundation is an immensely innovative band, which was formed over two decades ago and has global recognition. The current seven members belong to different ethnicities, which is why their music is an exclusive mixture of hip-hop, drum & bass, big beat, electronica, rapcore, bhangra and raga. They are: Akhtar Ahmed, Dr Das, Ghetto priest, Steve Savale, Sanjay Gulabbhai, Rocky Singh and John Pandit. They have produced numerous albums.
This first time collaboration has been made possible by The Samosa that has been working as a production consultant for both groups (www.thesamosa.co.uk, a media project which is a facilitator of dialogue between the UK and South Asia).
Tickets can be booked here: https://tickets.southbankcentre.co.uk/booking/production/syos/96507?performance
Social Enterprises
Representatives of organizations such Citizens Foundation Pakistan (http://www.tcf.org.pk), Human Rights Commission Pakistan (http://hrcp-web.org/hrcpweb), Care Foundation Pakistan (http://www.carepakistan.org) and British Pakistan Foundation (https://www.britishpakistanfoundation.com) will create awareness about the various issues faced by the Pakistani society at large, and the splendid work that is being done within the country as well as overseas to tackle them.
Burka Avenger
Pakistan’s first and multiple award-winning animation series for children Burka Avenger will be screened throughout the festival and a workshop will be held on 22nd May.
About the Alchemy Festival
It is held at the Southbank Centre (which was developed in 1951, and has become one of the most sought after cultural destinations in the UK). It began in 2010, and embodies the cultural relationship between the UK and South Asia. The festival brings people from all over, to showcase their immense talents through workshops, exhibitions and performances related to literature, music, dance, comedy, theatre, and fashion. A delectable food market is also a major attraction.
It will take place from 20th to 30th May 2016.