Seven months after releasing their debut Ghoyoum, Toronto’s Kazdoura arrive at Oslo Hackney on Sunday 19 October with momentum built from word-of-mouth buzz and a growing international following. Formed by Syrian singer Leen Hamo and Lebanese multi-instrumentalist Johnny Abou Chacra, the band stand out in contemporary Arabic fusion for their sharp balance of tradition and experimentation.
Their sound builds from Levantine maqams and the phrasing of classic Arabic song, interlaced with jazz phrasing, funk rhythms, disco grooves, electro-pop flourishes and touches of psychedelia. Hamo’s voice carries the emotional reach of Umm Kulthum and Fairuz, while Abou Chacra shapes the instrumentation around those roots in vivid urban colour. On Ghoyoum, that chemistry is unmistakable: the hypnotic sway of “Khayal”, the driving beat of “Killo Birooh”, the panoramic tone of “Allemni Hibbak”. The album turns memory into motion, tracing the evolution of Arabic music through the perspective of a new diaspora.
Live, they expand the sound even further. Hamo leads with a looseness that draws the room in, while Abou Chacra pushes each song into improvisation without losing its Arabic soul. Oslo Hackney’s raw, warehouse character feels made for that push-and-pull: intimate enough for quiet phrasing, loud enough for ecstatic breaks.
Presented by nos production, the night marks Kazdoura’s first London show, capturing a band in full stride: a chance to see a band whose rise has been fast, but whose grounding runs deep.
Join Kazdoura at Oslo Hackney — tickets available HERE