Surrender to the trance with BCUC from Soweto, South Africa! The seven-piece collective has repeatedly turned entire Roskilde Festival crowds into ecstatic devotees, and the last time they played at ALICE, it was to a packed-out room in total euphoria. We expect nothing less when BCUC return to Nørrebro this May with funky grooves, magnetic percussion and raw punk-rock energy. They bring along their forthcoming album “The Road Is Never Easy” (Out Here Records, 2026), and the first single already signals an intense, rhythmically captivating and consciousness-expanding experience.

BCUC – Bantu Continua Uhuru Consciousness – describe their music as “a hedonistic trance and a weapon of political and spiritual liberation.” It is precisely in this tension between celebration and emancipation that a unique and compelling force arises. With Afro-futuristic, psychedelic and irresistibly groovy percussion, magnetic call-and-response vocals and unstoppable energy, they draw lines back to South African icons such as Philip “Malombo” Tabane and Batsumi, filtering this heritage through hip-hop, punk-rock urgency and the burning questions of our time. This is music that insists on an Africa rich in traditions, rituals and spirituality. “We bring fun and emo-indigenous Afro psychedelic fire from the hood,” says frontman Kgomotso Mokone fittingly. After more than 20 years on stage, BCUC are more relevant than ever, with a new album on Out Here Records arriving this spring—rumoured to be their best to date.

From their first rehearsals in a shipping container near the church where the legendary bishop and activist Desmond Tutu organised resistance against apartheid, BCUC have journeyed onto some of the world’s biggest stages—from Glastonbury and Roskilde to WOMAD and Afropunk. In 2023, they received the prestigious Womex Artist Award in recognition of their fearless work ethic and transformative live performances. The last time BCUC performed at ALICE, it was to a sold-out hall and a crowd in complete ecstasy, and we expect nothing less when they return this May. Look forward to an evening where the dance floor transforms into a collective ritual, as BCUC set body and mind ablaze with their electrifying music.

What they say about BCUC
“Guaranteed to touch untapped corners of your soul” – Okayafrica

“Without a doubt the best live act I saw [at Womex 2023]” – Gilles Peterson