Dear friends,

This Summer, we’re holding a series of free pop-up exhibitions celebrating the South African tour, the ‘Johannesburg’ mini-album and the beautiful country that helped inspire it, together with Gentlemen of the Road and the South African Tourist Board. And you’re invited.

Entitled Johannesburg – A South African Experience, the exhibition will launch in Williamsburg, New York at Okay Africa’s Okay Space from June 14-19, before heading over to London’s Lights of Soho between June 30 and July 9.

At both locations you’ll find behind-the-scenes photography and never-before-seen documentary footage from the recent South Africa tour and the recording of ‘Johannesburg’.

“Our trip to South Africa was long over due and there was a great deal of anticipation both from us the band, as well as the fans”, Ted said of the experience.

“The shows were incredible and recording so much music with the fellow musicians we were travelling with served to further deepen the feelings we had towards this complex and beautiful country.

In light of how much music and art was created from this short trip, it seemed to make a lot of sense to bring it back to our home town of London (and London) to share with our friends and families here.”

We’ll be announcing a full events programme in June, but you can expect live performances from collaborators Beatenberg and The Very Best (as well as a whole host of South African musicians and DJs), documentary footage and a mocked up staging of the ‘Johannesburg’ cover for you to recreate – with much more to come.

For updates on exhibition details, events and exclusives, select your nearest location:

June 14 – 19: Okay Africa’s Okay Space, Williamsburg, New York

June 30 – July 9: Lights of Soho, London

And if you can’t make it to the exhibitions, don’t panic – news on how you can still experience this journey is coming soon!

M&S HQ x

We’re pleased to follow up on our announcement of last week regarding the proceeds from the (fantastic) Charlotte show.  We have now set up the Gentlemen Of The Road Fund which will donate funds to charities fighting for social justice around the world.

We met with the Mayor of Charlotte and some other charities and action groups while we were in town and will be making donations to the following wonderfully worthy organisations: Equality North Carolina, the oldest LGBT rights action group in the US, Time Out Youth, which creates a safe place for young LGBT people in Charlotte and the Equal Justice Initiative, a civil rights campaigning group based in Alabama.

Thanks also go to Grayson and Tina at NC Needs You for their sage advice. Stay tuned for future announcements relating to the Gentlemen Of The Road Fund.

Friends, we’re very proud and excited to announce the release of ‘Johannesburg’, a collection of new recordings with Baaba Maal, Beatenberg and The Very Best, out now.

Conceived in Johannesburg in February during the band’s sell-out debut South Africa tour, the tourmates recorded these songs over two all-day-and-all-night sessions, with production handled by Mumford & Sons and The Very Best’s Johan Hugo.

Here’s a note from Ted on the inspiration behind the songs:

“Since day one, we have been proactive in touring places that most bands don’t often get to. It keeps us from the monotony. I think the road could easily feel like Groundhog Day but whether it’s the Scottish Highlands, India, or a tour on barge boats, our travels still feel fresh and exciting.

Going to South Africa felt to us to be an adventure into a continent that none of us knew well. The appetite for live music is huge and the youth culture is exploding with energy and rejuvenation.”

By now you may have already heard the first track, ‘There Will Be Time’ with Baaba Maal. When the bands took to the stage in Pretoria to perform it live, a storm raged overhead and the thunder seemed to crack with percussionist Mamadou Saar’s every other beat. In the rain the good people of Pretoria danced and embraced the moment as their own.

Whether you helped get the song to number 1 in South Africa or helped support your local record store by grabbing it on 7″ during Record Store Day, we hope you enjoyed it – and we hope you picture the tropical storm that kicked up Pretoria’s dustbowl when you listen to it as part of these new songs.

You can now order ‘Johannesburg’ here.

We can’t wait for you all to hear these new songs, and hope you’ll join us as the journey to Johannesburg unfolds.

M&S HQ x