Handsome Tours and Astral People present the highly anticipated return of Kokoroko!

Kokoroko are one of the brightest lights in London’s ever-evolving jazz continuum – a band whose music feels like a reclamation, a celebration, and a statement all at once. Rooted in Afrobeat traditions but shaped by the energy of a new generation, their sound is joyful, groove-led and emotionally charged – a distinct product of the city’s diasporic soul.

Formed in 2014 and led by trumpeter Sheila Maurice-Grey, the seven-piece ensemble grew out of the same fertile South London soil that gave us Yussef Dayes, Nubya Garcia, Shabaka Hutchings and Ezra Collective — artists who reframed the language of jazz through a lens of identity. Kokoroko took a different path, channeling the legacy of Fela Kuti, Tony Allen, and West African highlife into music that feels as suited to the dancefloor as it does the stage. Their 2019 breakout single “Abusey Junction,” released via Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood Recordings, became a defining anthem of the UK jazz renaissance – slow-burning, tender and totally unhurried.

Now, Kokoroko return with their highly anticipated second album Tuff Times Never Last – an expansive and rhythm-rich record that deepens their connection to the global lineage of Afro-jazz while pushing their sound into new terrain. Written with their live show in mind, the album reflects the band’s desire to move, to uplift, and to explore joy in the face of adversity. “What do we want our next few years to feel like?” was the question at its core. The answer is vibrant, playful and full of intent.