Kobo Town

Founded and fronted by émigré Trinidadian songwriter Drew Gonsalves, Kobo Town’s music has been described as a ”unique, transnational composite of rhythm, poetry and activist journalism.” - (Exclaim!) From their home in Toronto, the Juno nominated group has brought their distinct calypso-inspired sound to audiences across the world, from Port-of-Spain to Paris and from Montreal to Malaysia.

At once brooding and joyous, intensely poetic and highly danceable, Gonsalves’ songs betray deep roots in Caribbean folk music, while the band delivers them with an indomitable energy that has earned them a considerable following far beyond the niche of world music enthusiasts and calypso fans. On Where the Galleon Sank (2017), Gonsalves continues to explore 500 years of history through his post-colonial, Trinidadian lens, armed with his trademark wit and gift for melody. Maverick producer Ivan Duran has once again manned the console, creating a warm, percolating, richly layered sound. The making of the record, in Montreal, Toronto and Belize, was delayed when Gonsalves and Duran became involved in one of the biggest musical comeback stories of 2016. Along with Manu Chao, they co-wrote and produced one of their childhood musical heroes, Trinidadian legend Calypso Rose, whose latest album has already gone gold in France.

Kobo Town is named after the historic neighbourhood in Port-of-Spain where calypso was born amid the boastful, humorous and militant chants of roaming stick-fighters. Situated near the fishermen’s wharf, the area was a site of constant defiance and conflict, a place where sticks and stones, songs and verses, clashed with the coloniser’s bayonets and batons.

Gonsalves songs are both thought provoking and joyous, intensely poetic and danceable, with deep roots in Caribbean folk music. The band deliver their music with an unbreakable energy, which has led to an adoring audience far beyond the most loyal of world music and Calypso enthusiasts.

Their latest album is called Carnival of the Ghosts and was released in the autumn of 2021.