How a Kenyan Band Got to Perform For the Queen

So, how did a band that is barely known in Kenya make it to the Queen’s Jubilee celebration?

Slum Drummers is made up former street children. They still scour rubbish sites but this time, to look for anything that they can turn into a musical instrument. They collect old pipes, plastic containers and scrap metal, which they rework into musical instruments.

For the Queen’s concert, the band was discovered by Take That lead singer and X-Factor judge, Gary Barlow, who was tasked with looking for artistes to perform for the concert and record the official Jubilee track, Sing. The 13 members of the band were just one of 210 performers who appeared on the song. Barlow had discovered the band on YouTube and traveled to Kenya to watch them practice before recording the commemorative record.

At the concert the band performed alongside pop star, Kylie Minogue, rapper, Will.I.Am, renown pianist, Lang Lang, former Beatle, Paul McCartney, fellow Kenyan, Ayub Ogada among others. Michael, one of the band’s percussionists recently fell blind through diabetes but he continues to perform with the troupe.

The band, which is led by Henry Kang’ethe, is an initiative by GRT, an Italian. The band had previously performed at the Alliance Francaise in March this year. They have also traveled to Italy and Brazil for various cultural shows.

You can catch them on 21st of June, 2012, at the Alliance Francaise Gardens to perform at the World Music Day event.