Keziah Jones

Keziah Jones will be at MeM in Rennes on 16 April 2026. The inventor of blufunk returns with Alive and Kicking, his first new project in ten years, conceived as a personal manifesto. Recorded live at his home in Lagos and in Femi Kuti’s studios, the album weaves together covers, new material and live versions of his classics. It includes a reinterpretation of The Police, a “Pass the Joint” borrowed from Rick James, and an acoustic “Rhythm Is Love” preceded by a playful nod—“Paris, it’s me.” Along the way, Keziah more openly explores soul with “Melissa,” a track that reveals a leaner, more stripped-back sensibility in his repertoire. On stage, he unfolds this chronological thread with his percussive guitar and the hybrid groove that marked his early London years. Between taut funk, urban folk and slap riffs, his new songs converse with the tracks that first brought him recognition. This concert in Rennes highlights the direct energy of his playing and the freedom of a set conceived as a journey from Lagos to the present.