Viral one man band from Malawi gears up to play Mossley gig

He went viral playing his three metre bass guitar with a beer bottle and a stick, and now he's coming to Mossley.

Malawian one man band Gasper Nali clocked up 20 million views singing with his home-made babatoni guitar on the shore of Lake Malawi.

Featuring just one string - salvaged from a car tyre - Nali plays his oversized, handcrafted bass by sliding a beer bottle up and down the neck and hitting the string with a stick.

A cow skin kick drum, with a hand-made wooden pedal, adds to the rhythm.

His music, which has been released on two albums, has been called "totally infectious' by Songlines magazine.

Nali's 2015 song 'A Bale Ndikuwuzeni', which means People I Want To Tell You, went viral across Facebook and YouTube a couple of years after it was first released.

Musician Joss Stone saw the clip and travelled to Malawi to jam with him.

Nali has gone on to tour the UK and Europe, including spots at both WOMAD and Glastonbury.

Support for his gig at The Vale comes from Michael Mountain, a Malawian Rastafarian musician who is also a small-scale farmer and a village chief.

For The Vale's co-founder, musician Leon Patel, this will not be his first encounter with Nali.

In 2008, Leon was running a music project with school groups in Nkhata Bay on the shores of Lake Malawi.

He was surprised to hear music coming from down near the water and when he went to investigate, he discovered Nali with his babatoni.

The pair struck up conversation and Leon, a percussion player, was delighted when Nali gave him a home-made kick pedal and a tape of his music.

Leon said: "Bumping into Gasper at the lakeside was totally random and I was blown away by his music.

"I went back later that day and we had a jam together.

"When his video went viral, I recognised him and his unique sound  - and his enormous bass guitar - at once.

"We're very excited to welcome Gasper to The Vale and to be bringing a musician of his calibre to Mossley.

"Though he sings in the Chichewa language, the rhythms and melodies of his music and his dynamic performance make his songs instantly accessible.

"His sound is so joyful I challenge anyone to hear it and not start to dance."

Gasper Nali and Michael Mountain are at The Vale, Vale Mill, Micklehurst Road, Mossley OL5 9JL on Thursday, October 19.

Tickets are £15 (£12.50 concs).

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