The Zawose Queens are Leah and Pendo Zawose of the Tanzanian Wagogo people and they sound awesome – using drums, thumb pianos, a chizeze fiddle mirror, the sounds of nature, polyrhythms, captured jams and perhaps most importantly – their enchanting vocals.

The grand-daughter and daughter of the late, great musician and singer Hukwe Zawose, were once forbidden from this path – like all the women in the Zawose family. Now, aided by producers Oli Barton-Wood and Tom Excell, their stunning debut by the duo from the city of Bagamoyo in Tanzania, East Africa, is finally here.

The album is released on Peter Gabriel’s Real World Records, the label on which the late Hukwe Zawose released a number of recordings in the 1990s.

Hukwe performed at numerous WOMAD festivals and toured with the organization around the world, as well as supporting Peter Gabriel on his Growing Up tour in 2002. The Zawose Queens will follow in their father and grandfather’s footsteps by performing at WOMAD this July in Wiltshire.

They will be joined by musical collaborators and co-producers of their album, Tom Excell (Nubiyan Twist, Onipa), and Oli Barton-Wood (Jordan Rakei, Obongjayar, Nilufer Yanya). This album, being the first time that women from this famous musical family have taken their place as lead vocalists and performers, was supported by workshops in songwriting and music production by the visiting UK-based producers Oli and Tom.

The Zawose Queens’ summer tour will see them perform at a number of UK festivals including Glastonbury, Africa Oyé and Tropical Pressure, alongside other venues and festivals in Europe.

TOUR DATES

22 JUN BRIGHTON Africa Night Fever

23 JUN LIVERPOOL Africa Oyé Festival

29 JUN PILTON Glastonbury Festival, Croissant Neuf Stage

30 JUN PILTON Glastonbury Festival, Greenpeace Stage

02 JUL LAUSANNE Festival de la Cité

05 JUL BRISTOL Wake The Tiger

06 JUL GOTHENBERG Clandestino Festival

07 JUL MALMÖ Sommarscen Malmö Festival

11 JUL MANCHESTER Ramona

13 JUL CORNWALL Tropical Pressure

16 JUL LONDON Woodburner, Dalston Curve Garden

19 JUL DANZIG Globaltica

26 JUL WILTSHIRE WOMAD Festival

27 JUL THISTED Alive Festival

03 AUG COPENHAGEN Badesøen Festival