Azgo hosts Battle of the Bands for young Mozambican artists

From Mozambique the line-up boasts marrabenta giants Mingas and Orquestra Djambu, hip-hop gurus Duas Caras e Trez Agah (of Gpro fame), pop sensations Liloca and Claudio Ismael, while Tucan Tucan and Sergio Muiambo will keep the party going into the early hours. From the southern African region, Azgo Festival welcomes Mi Casa, the kings of South African soulful house, and Floewe, Swaziland’s queen of R&B/pop – plus plenty more! Some selected artists will be playing at both Azgo and Bushfire as part of the Firefest Route, such as Haja Madagascar & the Groovy People (Madagascar). From further afield audiences at both festivals can look forward to the dreamy melodies of indie-pop group 123 (Turkey), Swiss multi-instrumentalist Matthias Frey - aka Sweet, Sweet Moon - and Australian-Ethiopian jazz ensemble the Black Jesus Experience.

There are plenty of good deals on offer. This year Azgo and Bushfire Festival in Swaziland are offering a truly memorable and unparalleled opportunity to explore music, culture and art within the region; the Firefest Route enables people to purchase ticket bundles to both festivals at discounted rates (click here for more details). Azgo Festival and Fatima’s Backpackers in Maputo are offering a discounted package of accommodation and ticket. Fatima’s Place is the perfect place to call home while attending Azgo Festival 2015! Fatima’s is also organising a shuttle service to and from the festival.

To further develop the local music scene, Azgo is running a Battle of the Bands contest to unearth talented new bands from Maputo city and province! Applications are open at Café Bar Gil Vicente in Maputo, open daily from 4pm. First prize is 10 thousand meticais and participation in the fifth edition of Azgo Festival.

For further information on the battle of the bands, as well as accommodation, transport and ticketing, visit the Azgo website.

Check out the official 2014 Azgo Festival video: