Kardeş Türküler, a student band first formed in Istanbul in 1993, is today one of Turkey’s most acclaimed acts.
Their name literally means the Blues Brothers and although their line-up has changed over their 25-year history, the ethos remains the same: to capture the essence of the diverse music cultures present in Turkey and its neighbouring territories and perform these to as broad an audience as possible as a means of spreading a message of fraternity.
To date, the band has released six albums and two soundtrack albums through seminal Turkish label Kalan Music, their most recent being Yol (‘The Road’), in 2017 – their first release in six years. Like previous albums, Yol is a multi-cultural mix of music that straddles the traditional and contemporary, with songs in Turkish, Armenian, Kurdish, Circassian, Arabic, Bosnian, and Pontus Greek.
They have performed at multiple concerts and music festivals in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific region, including Amsterdam Roots, Stimmen in Lörrach, Germany, the Oslo World Music Festival, and Istanbul Ekspres in Gent. In 2014, they also toured with Turkey’s queen of pop, Sezen Aksu.
In 2018, Kardeş Türküler embarked on a special tour to celebrate their 25th anniversary since first coming together through the Folklore Club at Boğaziçi University. They perform for one night only on 3rdFebruary at KOKO in Camden, where they will be joined by special guest Mehmet Erdem, who spent the early part of his career with the band before forging his own path as an acclaimed singer-songwriter.
Erdem has penned some of Turkey’s biggest film soundtracks and TV theme tunes including for Polis (2006), Avrupa Avrupa (2011) and Leyla ile Mecnun (2011), before releasing his debut album Herkes Aynı Hayatta in 2012, which won him multiple awards for “Most Promising Debut’.
For lovers of World Music, Kardeş Türküler live in London is a must-see gig – the occasion as much as the music is guaranteed to feed the soul. Buy now as this event is sure to be a sellout.
Concert Details
Title: Kardeş Türküler featuring Mehmet Erdem
Date: Sunday 03 February 2019
Time: Doors open 6pm
Venue: Koko, 1A Camden High Street, London NW1 7JE
Admission: 18 and over only. Please bring ID – those who cannot verify their age will not be admitted and no refunds are available. Do note, this is a standing-only concert and no seating is available.
Tickets: are priced £35.00 (+ £4.38 fees), with a ticket limit of 8 per person. Buy online from the venue.
