JOLT Arts and Stani Goma present
AFRICAN SUNSET RESIDENCY
GRACE BARBÉ AKOUSTIK DUO
Featuring James Ross on Guitar
Saturday 8 August
Doors open 7pm
Tickets $20/15. Buy tickets here
JOLTED Arts Space
342 High Street Northcote 3070
GRACE BARBÉ AKOUSTIK DUO
Featuring James Ross on Guitar
ARIA nominated and multi award-winning artist Grace Barbé, hails from the sunburnt Indian Ocean islands of the Seychelles – where a colourful history of slavery, pirates, coups d’etat and coconuts have produced a unique Kreol rhythm, language and culture. Drawing from the diverse cultural melange of the islands, Grace’s music fuses the tropical rhythms and dances of the slaves with psychedelic rock, afrobeat, reggae and pop.
A powerful force within Australia’s contemporary world music scene, Grace has received multiple Western Australian Music Industry awards including “Best Vocalist”, “Best Bassist”, and an extraordinary 13 consecutive wins for “Best World Act”. Grace’s third album FANM:WOMAN, received an ARIA nomination for “Best World Music Album”, and an NLMA (National Live Music Australia) nomination for “Best Live Bassist”.
Since the release of her debut album Kreol Daughter in 2008, Grace and her band have been enticing audiences all over Australia and internationally to get up and shake their coconuts. Her performances have taken her throughout India, East Africa, and the Indian Ocean region, appearing at renowned festivals including Sauti Za Busara, Sakifo Festival, IOMMA, Reggae Donn Sa, and major Australian music festivals including WOMADelaide/WOMAD New Zealand, Byron Bay Bluesfest, and Woodford Folk Festival. Currently, Grace is touring the world as bassist and vocalist for Melbourne’s long standing live band, The Cat Empire.
For this special duo performance, Grace will be joined by Australian guitarist and touring musician James Ross (The Cat Empire, Andrea Soler, and Parissa Bouas). James is known for his expressive playing, rich textural approach, and deep connection to groove-driven music. Together with Grace, the duo strip Afro-Kreol music back to its essence: voice, rhythm, groove, and connection. The performance will invite audiences into a rich musical journey carried by island stories, rhythms, and the pulse of the Indian Ocean.
JOLT AFRICAN SUNSET RESIDENCY curated by Stani Goma
JOLT AFRICAN SUNSET RESIDENCY BRINGS THE WARMTH OF AFRICAN MUSIC, STORYTELLING AND COMMUNITY TO WINTER IN NAARM
This winter, Jolted Arts will transform into a vibrant cultural sanctuary as the JOLT African Sunset Residency presents an intimate series of live performances celebrating the richness, diversity and excellence of African music in Naarm.
Running from June to October 2026, the residency draws inspiration from the tradition of African sunset gatherings — moments where communities come together at the end of the day to share music, stories, rhythm and connection.
As winter settles across Melbourne and the nights grow longer, the series invites audiences into a warm communal space where culture and creativity come alive.
Curated around intimacy, storytelling and musical excellence, the residency will feature some of Naarm’s most compelling African and diasporic artists, spanning ancient traditions, contemporary interpretations and cross-cultural collaborations.
The program opens on 20 June with the Melbourne African Traditional Ensemble (MATE), a powerful collaboration bringing together the hypnotic sounds of the Kamalengoni, mbira, African percussion and Yidaki in a rare musical dialogue between Africa and Australia’s First Peoples traditions.
On 18 July, internationally acclaimed Kenyan artist Willis Chimano presents Heavy Is the Crown: A One Man Show— a courageous and deeply personal performance blending live music and storytelling.
Known globally as a member of Sauti Sol, Chimano takes audiences on an intimate journey through identity, resilience, healing and self-expression as a queer African artist. Raw, vulnerable and profoundly human, the work transforms silence into voice and pain into power.
The series continues on 8 August with the Grace Barbé Akoustik Duo featuring James Ross. Drawing from the rhythms and cultural heritage of the Seychelles, Grace Barbé’s music fuses Afro-Kreol traditions with reggae, psychedelic rock, afrobeat and groove-driven improvisation in a soulful and immersive performance.
On 19 September, VaRuRu Mbira Trio bring the shimmering resonance of the mbira into an intimate setting where cyclical melodies, percussion and vocals create a deeply meditative and uplifting sonic experience.
The residency culminates with two celebratory performances in October. On 3 October, The Mande Spirit present a vibrant exploration of classical Mandé music traditions from Mali, Guinea and The Gambia through kora, balafon and percussion led by master musicians Amadou Suso, Aboubacar Djelike Kouyate and Mohamed Camara.
Closing the series on 10 October, the newly formed Melbourne Africubismo Project explores the deep musical connections between Africa and Cuba in a celebration of rhythm, exchange and diasporic dialogue.
More than a concert series, the JOLT African Sunset Residency is envisioned as a winter gathering place — a space where audiences can experience the warmth of community through music, storytelling and cultural exchange.
Presented in an intimate setting, each performance invites audiences to move beyond passive listening and into a shared experience of rhythm, memory and connection.
For media enquiries, interviews and promotional opportunities:
Stani Goma
stanigoma@gmail.com
0458 670 971