Afro Celt Sound System’s new album ‘Flight’ will be released on 23 November 2018 and will be supported by a 10 date tour in November 2018, including London’s Barbican Centre. The new album explores themes of migration – both human and avian – with a dazzling cast of stellar musicians from around the globe. Simon Emmerson is joined by long-term members’ vocalist, kora and balafon player N’faly Kouyaté and Dhol Foundation drummer Johnny Kalsi but both album and tour will feature contributions from more than 17 musicians and at selected gigs will also include the Amani choir.

This host of outstanding musicians include Ríoghnach Connolly; off-grid Highland Crofter, Griogair (vocals and highland pipes); Amani Choir MD Emmanuela Yogoelo; bodhrán player and percussionist Robbie Harris and Malian master drummer and percussionist Kalifa Knoé. Bass is provided by Mass, Simon ‘Palmy’ Richmond, Richard Evans and Simon Emmerson. The pipe, fiddle and flute tunes are all original and performed and written by Scottish Fiddler, Ewen Henderson, County Mayo Piper, Emer Mayock and flautist, Ríoghnach Connolly.  As well as the Amani choir, the band are also joined on ‘Flight’ by very special guests, Stone Flowers, The Kick Horns and the African Gospel Singers

Formed by Grammy-nominated musician and record producer Simon Emmerson, Afro Celt Sound System are a European and African based collective who’ve been a ground-breaking force in music ever since they started. Their acclaimed live performances are energetic and captivating and innovatively combine folk traditions of different cultures to breath-taking effect. They won Best Group in the 2017 Songlines Music Awards. With album sales now topping one and a half million and two Grammy nominations to date, Afro Celt Sound System celebrated their 20th Anniversary in 2016 with acclaimed album, The Source, which fRoots Magazine described as ‘a colossus of an album’. The first single from the much anticipated 2018 album Flight will be ‘Sanctus featuring the Amani Choir’.