Live music in Egypt

The genres of music that monopolise the live music scene in Egypt are constantly changing significantly in the non-mainstream sector. A few decades ago, rock music and metal were the dominant sounds on the independent front, more recently, it has softened into indie/alternative rock, fusion, mahraganat (electro-chaabi) and trap/hip-hop. Cover bands are also very prominent, especially at venues that provide general entertainment and at wedding and function events.

Types of live music performances in Egypt

The current live music scene in Egypt can be split up into the following categories; live concerts, general entertainment, weddings and function events, as well as street style mahraganat. All these types are performed by both independent and mainstream artists/bands.

Live concerts

These are what I would label a ticketed event where the audience’s sole purpose for attending is to watch the band. These types of live performances usually take place in cultural venues like the Cairo Opera House, Sawy Culture Wheel, Makan, Darb 1718, Zamalek Theatre, Jesuit Theatre, Biblioteca Alexandrina, Tahrir Culture Centre or purpose-built stages and arenas set up in open spaces like by the pyramids or empty land plots. These can be seated or standing spaces; some venues are flexible enough to offer both options. Several promoters and event organisers such as CNL Music and Nacelle have recently risen to the scene and have been hosting concerts (solo or multiple artists based) either at existing venues or temporary setups specifically built for the event.

General entertainment

These are performances that are not necessarily the main attraction at a venue. They take place at bars or restaurants where the clientele may not necessarily have come specifically for the line-up but to enjoy a meal, grab a drink, or for a good night out. Venues such as the Cairo Jazz Club, The Tap and Room Art Space all cater to this type of live performance.

Wedding and function events

Wedding and function events are a huge source of income for live performers in Egypt. Cover bands, as well as top-notch, fully established artists, are both often booked to perform. The who’s who of Egyptian society often flex the depth of their pockets through who they have performing at such events.

Street style mahraganat

These live performances are more common in lower socioeconomic districts, and rural cities/towns are Egypt’s version of block parties, usually celebrating a wedding or birthday. Make-shift stages are created, often blocking a road where live performances take place and entertain the neighbourhood. This type of performance is more common within the mahraganat – arguably the most authentic to come out of Egypt. This genre has gained tremendous traction within Egypt [1] despite being fought by the government and musicians’ syndicate who consider its lyrics “offensive and vulgar and their songs unworthy of Egypt’s artistic productions” [2]. Lyrics often use street slang and discuss politics, sex, and the day-to-day life of the youth living in low-income neighbourhoods.

Live Music Venues

Venues that offer live performance opportunities are very few compared to the size of the population of Egypt. Cairo and Alexandria, Egypt’s capital and second-largest city, respectively, both only host a handful of venues where live music is a regular activity on the menu. The general public has a choice between bars, restaurants and cafes such as; the Cairo Jazz Club, The Tap and Room Art Space or Cultural Organisation Venues like the Sawy Culture Wheel, Cairo Opera House, Makan, Darb 1718, Jesuit, Biblioteca Alexandrina, Zamalek Theatre or Tahrir Culture Centre. The first category of venues often have strict door policies or impose entrance fees that inform the type of client to attend their events. The second category of venues is usually more inclusive for their audience and may offer tickets with different price points depending on the type of performance.

Cairo Jazz Club

Cairo Jazz Club is one of the oldest venues on the scene and now boasts two locations in the west side of Cairo (Agouza and Sheikh Zayed districts). The venue offers a daily schedule of entertainment featuring both live acts and DJs. Despite the jazz reference in its name, it caters to a wide selection of genres and theme nights [3].

El Sawy Culture Wheel

With almost two decades of operation under its belt, El Sawy Culture Wheel is a cultural centre that hosts various art forms; theatre, music, dance, workshops, lectures and seminars. It consists of five different spaces; the River Hall, the Wisdom Hall, the Word Hall, El Sakia Garden and The Nile Orchard (El Bostan) located under the 15th May bridge in the central district of Zamalek. El Sawy Culture Wheel, like the Cairo Jazz Club, was often the launching point for many acts in the alternative music scene [4].

Room Art Space & Café

Room Art Space hosts different types of live performances, including live music, film screenings, stand-up comedy and open mic events. The venue caters to central and Eastern Cairo (Garden City and New Cairo districts, respectively). It offers an intimate experience for its clientele, with a table seating similar to a cabaret setting [5].

Cairo Opera House

A government-owned complex falling under the umbrella of the ministry of culture, the Cairo Opera House located in the district of Zamalek is a cultural hub hosting art exhibitions, live music events, theatre, ballet and more. It was inaugurated in 1988 to “promote the arts of music and dance and to preserve and renew traditional Arab music”. Its live music menu caters to all tastes and music genres and hosts both established mainstream artists (classical or contemporary) and well as up-and-coming ones [6].

Bibliotecca Alexandrina [7]

Every summer, the library of Alexandria hosts the International Summer Festival. Currently, in its 19th edition, the two-month-long festival offers an eclectic mix of artists performing in one of Alexandria’s most prestigious stages. The festival also features music workshops, film screenings and theatrical performances [8].

Challenges faced by live musicians

Musicians who perform live in Egypt (local or international acts alike) are required to be members of the musicians’ syndicate [9]. They are also required to secure a permit for every live performance they are to participate in advance, or they risk not being allowed to perform. These permits are often a huge obstacle for artists and event organisers as there is no clear fee scale for how much the permit costs or step by step guide for the process of having it issued. This goes hand in hand with other obstacles that musicians in Egypt face that allow for censorship to thrive within the industry. Many venues require artists to agree not to perform songs with controversial lyrics, especially those that are political, sexual, or may be regarded as offensive.

Remuneration is another issue that live performers in Egypt deal with especially in the independent music scene. Since the number of venues that host live performances is limited, event organisers offer artists very low fees to perform live on stage. Some offer fixed entry prices regardless of the number of attendees, others provide a cut of ticket sales, and some even deduct costs of the backline equipment provided for the band from the musician’s performance fee.

Despite Egypt being the cultural and media hub of the Middle East and North Africa, its live music sector leaves a lot to be desired. As the third-largest population in Africa with over 100m people [10], live music venues in operation are weakly represented across the country. Purpose-built venues are few, often meaning that performance spaces are less ideal for musicians and audience members alike. The live music sector in Egypt has yet to cater for the full potential of its musicians and audience.

Resources and citations:

[1] https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20210608-the-controversial-street-music-that-wont-be-silenced

[2 https://www.arab-reform.net/publication/the-egyptian-authorities-grip-on-local-culture-the-example-of-mahraganat-music/

[3] https://cairojazzclub.com/about-cjc/

[4] https://culturewheel.com/en/about-us/QVM1NB1gmB/WmR1JgDnBo

[5] https://www.roomart.space/

[6] https://www.cairoopera.org/?lan=En

[7] https://www.bibalex.org/en/default

[8] https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/5/35/416609/Arts--Culture/Stage--Street/Programme-Bibliotheca-Alexandrina-launches-th-Intl.aspx

[9] https://timep.org/commentary/analysis/music-in-egypt-in-the-last-decade-hit-and-run-with-the-authorities/

[10] https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?locations=EG