Summer Fusion Festival

September 7th Jubilee Library and Square.

Thanks to everyone who came, supported and all involved in Summer Fusion Festival on September 7th, in collaboration with Brighton and Hove City Libraries, Cohesion Plus and SameSky.

Manal Garezeddin Photographs

Best Foot Music Photographs

Music Programme

12.00 Ilesh and Jayesh – Sitar & Tabla

12.45 Ukrainian Voices Choir

1.30 Suna Alan – Kurdish Folk Songs

2.30 Kapil Seshasayee – British Tamil, R&B, Indian Classical Fusion

3.45 Cohesion Plus, Kings of Dhol – Bhangra Fusion

Film Screenings and Art Workshops

Art Workshops with Same Sky : 12.00, 1.00, 2.00 and 3.30.

Film Screenings: In the Community Space, Jubilee Library

11.00 Prisoner of Hope – Conversations over Boarders & Refugee Radio

2.00 Sounds of Peace – Farabi Ferdiansah

3.20: New Soil, New Roots – Cathy Maxwell from The Network of International Women

Please arrive promptly.

Artists Details

Cohesion Plus Bhangra Fusion

Cohesion Plus produced Bhangra Fusion is spectacular collaboration of North Indian percussions and traditional folk dance with the added twist of Western influence. Set to frenetic beats, the high energy choreography will feature elements of crowd participation and interaction!

Kapil Seshasayee

British-Tamil artist Kapil Seshasayee tells the stories other artists are afraid to tell with a guitar style all his own – combining Carnatic Indian classical music, R’n’B and jazz fusion.

Singles released from his most recent LP “Laal” have featured at Rolling Stone India, BBC Radio4, Bandcamp, The Quietus, The Hindu, BBC Radio6 Music, BBC Radio Scotland and BBC Asian Network.

“Laal” is a concept album about the influence of Bollywood and Indian cinema – platforming conversations around censorship, nationalism and caste which aren’t discussed often in mainstream media circles. Kapil also hopes to celebrate unsung heroes of the Indian film industry with singles from the album such as the director of queer film “The Pink Mirror” – Sridhar Rangayan.

Kapil has showcased songs from “Laal” across SXSW, South Asian festival Dialled in, Latitude Festival, The Roundhouse and venues such as the Concorde 2 in Brighton alongside artists such as Tinariwen, Talvin Singh and Raghu Dixit.

Highly sought after for session work due to his idiosyncratic guitar playing – Kapil has amassed a number of high profile collaborations and commissions including a rework of a Ravi Shankar composition to commemorate his 100th birthday for BBC Asian Network, a collaborative single with rap legend LIL B and performances in Glasgow Royal Concert Hall alongside Billy Bragg and members of legendary Scottish acts Mogwai / Belle & Sebastian.

Suna Alan

Suna Alan is a Kurdish Alevi singer based in London, whose artistry is deeply rooted in traditional Kurdish dengbêj (bard) music and shaped by the rich cultural diversity of her upbringing in Izmir, Turkey. While Kurdish folk songs are her primary focus, her repertoire extends to encompass Armenian, Greek, Arabic, Sephardic, and Turkish music.

Recognized for her contributions to music and culture, Suna was featured in the UK-based creative journalism platform Brush & Bow’s Women Role Models Project in 2018. She has graced prestigious stages such as the Southbank Centre, as part of the “Women in Music” concert series, and the Royal Albert Hall, performing with the Solidarity Ensemble to support earthquake survivors in Turkey and Syria.

In August 2024, she was the sole performer at the TEDxKings Parade St event in Cambridge, themed “TRANSFORMED.” Her involvement with SOAS University’s Kurdish Band and Rebetiko Band has further broadened her international presence, allowing her to perform in numerous concerts and festivals across the UK and beyond.

Suna’s music is a celebration of heritage, resilience, and the shared humanity that transcends cultural boundaries.

Ukrainian Voices

Founded in 2022, the Ukrainian Voices are a Brighton-based community choir created to share Ukraine’s rich musical heritage with audiences in Brighton and beyond. Many choir members are refugees who have fled Ukraine’s ongoing conflict and sought safety and new beginnings in the UK. For them, the choir is a creative outlet and a way to reconnect with their homeland and preserve their culture.

Ilesh and Jayesh: Sitar and Tabla Duo

Ilesh Patel learnt Sitar initially from Sri Sachinda Dasgupta. At present, he is learning from Pandit Arvid Parikh (India) and Ustad Mehboob Nadim (UK)

He has is a popular performer at cultural events, and weddings and was a regular on the main stage at Crawley International Mela Festival.

Jayesh Vaduhul is well known UK based Tabla player and plays with Ilesh at many events.