Blick Bassey
Suprisingly the best show of the year
Blick Bassey is one of my favorite artists to emerge in the last decade. He boosted into stardom a decade ago when his song Aké was used in an Apple iPhone 6 commercial, though it would be years later that he appeared on my musical radar. He’s from Cameroon and most of his songs are in the Baasa language, with a little English and French thrown in. His albums have an indie-folk sound that have become increasingly electronic over the years — a little Beruit, a little Sufjan, processed through an African cultural filter.
My wife and I saw him in April at Public Records, an intimate club venue with great acoustics (also a fantastic restaurant upstairs). I was not expecting such an immersive show. The live set was more electronic than I expected, with three dudes on stage creating a ridiculous wall of sound from a few synths and pads. Their sound was tight. At the start of the evening I was tired and regretting buying the tickets, but my enrgy ramped up as the show went on. We were blown away. Best show of the year, hands down.
I took my Ricoh GRiii and snapped a few shots. I’m still amazed what this little camera can do.
If you’re new to Blick I recommend his 2019 album 1958 for a plucky guitar-driven indie-folk sound.
For something a bit more electronic, his 2024 album Mádibá. Both are excellent, but the latest represents where I hope his sounds is going — ethereal soundscapes, layered choral elements, and immersive.
Enjoy!
