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Fun-Da-Mental and The Mighty Zulu Nation in Dublin

Fun-Da-Mental and the Might Zulu Nation at the World Festival of Culture, Dun Laoghaire, Ireland

Yesterday, I journeyed to Dun Laoghaire, in South County Dublin for the Festival of World Culture, where I caught multi-cultural British rockers Fun-Da-Mental on stage with The Mighty Zulu Nation from Durban. This wasn't some kind of earnest load of string-twanging - these was sheer, anger and passion - rock'n'roll global style.

I'd lost track Fun-Da-Mental years ago, after I'd marvelled at their partnership with Pop Will Eat Itself for Ich Bein Ein Auslander. I didn't realise they were so hardcore live - they describe themselves as punk rock - imagine the prodigy with a African tribal choir and middle-eastern elements, mixed up with samplers and DJ's scratching records.

The band was formed back in 1991 by the director of Nation Records Director Aki Nawaz - he wanted a musical platform to address injustice towards Asian and Afro-Caribbean communities in Great Britain. Originally from Pakistan, Nawaz - grew up in Northern England - Bradford, actually during the punk era. This comes out in the music. It is, dare I say it, a fusion of musical styles from different cultures - western punk, hip-hop, Zulu voices, tablas, dhols, harmoniums, and break-beats from an Indo-Pakistani source.

They don't disappoint - it's long long bloody time since I've seen such honest, raw passion flowing from a live stage - never mind in broad daylight outdoors.

Dance Your Ass Off...

daev

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Fun-Da-Mental at the Festival of World Cultures

Fun-Da-Mental and the Might Zulu Nation at the World Festival of Culture, Dun Laoghaire, Ireland

Fun-Da-Mental and the Might Zulu Nation at the World Festival of Culture, Dun Laoghaire, Ireland

Fun-Da-Mental and the Might Zulu Nation at the World Festival of Culture, Dun Laoghaire, Ireland

Fun-Da-Mental and the Might Zulu Nation at the World Festival of Culture, Dun Laoghaire, Ireland

Fun-Da-Mental and the Might Zulu Nation at the World Festival of Culture, Dun Laoghaire, Ireland

Fun-Da-Mental and the Might Zulu Nation at the World Festival of Culture, Dun Laoghaire, Ireland

Fun-Da-Mental and the Might Zulu Nation at the World Festival of Culture, Dun Laoghaire, Ireland

Fun-Da-Mental and the Might Zulu Nation at the World Festival of Culture, Dun Laoghaire, Ireland

Fun-Da-Mental and the Might Zulu Nation at the World Festival of Culture, Dun Laoghaire, Ireland

Fun-Da-Mental and the Might Zulu Nation at the World Festival of Culture, Dun Laoghaire, Ireland

Fun-Da-Mental and the Might Zulu Nation at the World Festival of Culture, Dun Laoghaire, Ireland

Fun-Da-Mental and the Might Zulu Nation at the World Festival of Culture, Dun Laoghaire, Ireland

Fun-Da-Mental and the Might Zulu Nation at the World Festival of Culture, Dun Laoghaire, Ireland

Fun-Da-Mental and the Might Zulu Nation at the World Festival of Culture, Dun Laoghaire, Ireland

Fun-Da-Mental and the Might Zulu Nation at the World Festival of Culture, Dun Laoghaire, Ireland

Fun-Da-Mental and the Might Zulu Nation at the World Festival of Culture, Dun Laoghaire, Ireland

Fun-Da-Mental and the Might Zulu Nation at the World Festival of Culture, Dun Laoghaire, Ireland

Fun-Da-Mental and the Might Zulu Nation at the World Festival of Culture, Dun Laoghaire, Ireland

Fun-Da-Mental and the Might Zulu Nation at the World Festival of Culture, Dun Laoghaire, Ireland

Fun-Da-Mental and the Might Zulu Nation at the World Festival of Culture, Dun Laoghaire, Ireland

Fun-Da-Mental and the Might Zulu Nation at the World Festival of Culture, Dun Laoghaire, Ireland

Fun-Da-Mental and the Might Zulu Nation at the World Festival of Culture, Dun Laoghaire, Ireland

Fun-Da-Mental and the Might Zulu Nation at the World Festival of Culture, Dun Laoghaire, Ireland

Fun-Da-Mental and the Might Zulu Nation at the World Festival of Culture, Dun Laoghaire, Ireland

Fun-Da-Mental and the Might Zulu Nation at the World Festival of Culture, Dun Laoghaire, Ireland

Fun-Da-Mental and the Might Zulu Nation at the World Festival of Culture, Dun Laoghaire, Ireland

Fun-Da-Mental and the Might Zulu Nation at the World Festival of Culture, Dun Laoghaire, Ireland

Fun-Da-Mental and the Might Zulu Nation at the World Festival of Culture, Dun Laoghaire, Ireland

Fun-Da-Mental and the Might Zulu Nation at the World Festival of Culture, Dun Laoghaire, Ireland

Comments (3)

Thanks Dave for your shots and warm words. It was a great pleasure to share our find of MZN with you and the thousands of others that were present on Sunday. At times I have to slap myself hard to make sure I'm not living in a dream capsule whenever we take the stage with the Zulu's.

Hope to return in the future.

All the beats
Dave Watts

Aki Nawaz:

Nice one Dave- we enjoyed it as much as you did hopefully will be back soon

damn, niyayishaya bafana...thatha South Africa thatha.. ya pips can dance, I hvnt seen the vidio but u can tell frm the images ukuthi niyashisa..

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This page contains a single entry from the blog posted on August 29, 2005 3:26 PM.

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