bela

Prepare for peak sonic intensity as we present two of the most boundary-pushing metal artists and live acts in Lord Spikeheart and bela. A London debut show for both artists, it’s the extreme metal double bill we’ve all been waiting for!

Over the past decade, Kenyan vocalist, songwriter and producer Martin Kanja, AKA Lord Spikeheart, has become a figurehead of the African metal scene cultivating a distinctive blend of guttural growls pulled from the death metal tradition, screeching screams and gravelly rap verses that seep menacingly through head-banging instrumentals.

His debut solo album ‘The Adept’, released on his own label HAEKALU Records, Africa's premiere label dedicated to darkest and heaviest music from the Continent, has acclaimed widespread recognition from prestigious media outlets such as The Guardian, BBC Radio, Pitchfork.

Originally from Paju South Korea, bela (they/them) is a musician and a performance artist based in Berlin. They are known for electronic music performance merging pungmul - a Korean folk act rooted in agricultural traditions and linked to past social movements - and vocals inspired by extreme metal. bela shapes pungmul into the ritual for queer rage and grief with sub-heavy distortions and cries.

Their LP “Noise and Cries”, co-released on Subtext UK and Unsound PL in April 2024, debuts their raw vocals for the first time.

Please note a £1.50 venue levy is included in the cost of all tickets.

This is an 18+ event

Institute of Contemporary Arts

Lord Spikeheart + bela

Lord Spikeheart - EMBLEM BLEM

Lord Spikeheart

Gigs

London

ICA (Institute of Contemporary Arts)

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