Barbican adds Moses Boyd Pan-African drums night and Ben LaMar Gay date to Project a Black Planet

City of London arts centre the Barbican has added two further concerts to its Project a Black Planet summer programme, with Moses Boyd and Jamz Supernova co-hosting Panafrica in Rhythm and Ben LaMar Gay set for a special We Chree trio performance. Both events form part of the centre’s wider season, which runs from June to September 2026 and explores the influence of Pan-Africanism across music, art and culture.

Steam Down and Friends

Panafrica in Rhythm: Pan-Africanism through the lens of the drums is due at Barbican Hall on Friday 12 June, bringing together Boyd, Supernova and a line-up that includes Steam Down & friends, Jas Kayser, Jerry Brown, Kwake Bass, Asheber & The Afrikan Revolution and Bonita x SLICKnBOBBY Present: Dub vs Cumbia. Later in the month, Ben LaMar Gay presents We Chree at LSO St Luke’s on Saturday 27 June, with Rob Frye and Mike Reed joining him for a set drawing on jazz, hip-hop, house, avant-garde and Latin influences.

Rhythm celebration

Panafrica in Rhythm is billed as a celebration of rhythm, lineage and sound, with artists responding to works in the exhibition and presenting one-off ensembles in the Hall. Ben LaMar Gay’s appearance is presented as a showcase for Chicago’s experimental lineage and his pan-American approach to composition, following his 2025 album Yowsers.

At a glance

Project a Black Planet

Lee “Scratch” Perry x Mouse on Mars
Studio Project
5–13 June · The Pit
Panafrica in Rhythm
Moses Boyd, Jamz Supernova
12 June · Barbican Hall
Cesária Évora Orchestra
Mayra Andrade
13 June · Barbican Hall
Meshell Ndegeocello
20 June · Barbican Hall
Tyshawn Sorey & Pat Thomas
20 June · LSO St Luke’s
Africa Oyé x Barbican
Patoranking, Ghorwane, Kizaba
21 June · Barbican Hall
Ben LaMar Gay’s We Chree
27 June · LSO St Luke’s
Sammy Baloji
Le Père Sauvage – A Poetic Memento of K(C)ongo
5 July · Barbican Hall

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