Ruben Blades

On 8 July 2026 at the Roundhouse, London, Ruben Blades brings decades of songs where street-level stories meet tight arrangements. Born in Panama City and later part of the Fania circle, he wrote and sang with Willie Colón on Metiendo Mano! and Siembra, shaping an urban salsa with narrative lyrics. From the 80s, he led Seis del Solar, opening the music to Latin jazz, rock and Afro-Caribbean grooves on albums like Buscando América and Caminando. His writing leans on social and political themes, fictional characters and a spoken-singing delivery that carries the plot as much as the rhythm.

In the 2000s and beyond, he kept widening the frame, from Mundo to sessions with Roberto Delgado & Orquesta such as Salsa Big Band, while touring between Latin America, the United States and Europe. On stage, this mix turns into focused storytelling over tumbaos and horns, moving between early collaborations and later big-band charts. A live journey through a catalogue built between Panama, New York and beyond, at the Roundhouse for one night in London.