Keziah Jones

Keziah Jones at Transbordeur

At Transbordeur, we are thrilled to welcome Keziah Jones, a singular artist whose “blufunk” alchemy—percussive, thumb-led guitar grooves fused with soul, funk, and an unmistakable Lagos-London sensibility—was practically made for our stage. The intimacy of our room combined with its punchy low end and crisp high-frequency detail is ideal for the snap and slap of his right hand, the nimble counter-rhythms of his left, and the warm grain of his voice. Whether he steps out alone with a guitar or arrives with a tight ensemble, the venue’s modular lighting and spacious floor let the performance breathe, spotlighting the athletic physicality of his playing and the spontaneous interplay that has made his concerts legendary. We have hosted countless boundary-pushing shows at Transbordeur, and Keziah Jones belongs to that family of artists who thrive in a room where the audience is close, the energy is shared, and the groove travels directly from the stage to the soles of your shoes.

Artistically, Keziah Jones remains in forward motion: touring internationally, collaborating in studios between dates, and constantly refreshing his repertoire with new arrangements and unreleased sketches that surface on stage first. His recent setlists have balanced enduring staples with more recent-era favorites, weaving in the buoyant pulse of Rhythm Is Love, the luminous sway of Beautiful Emilie, the reflective lift of Million Miles From Home, and the heady urban flow of Lagos vs. New York. Fans also savor the raw, searching spirit of Where’s Life?, with its tensile guitar figures, and the deep-pocket churn of Kpafuca, both of which reveal how his writing stretches beyond genre labels while staying rooted in rhythm. Expect him to tap into the conceptual universe of Captain Rugged too—its narratives and textures continue to inspire fresh live detours—while leaving room for improvisation, call-and-response, and those sudden tempo shifts that turn a song into a moment only possible in concert.

Your night at Transbordeur

From our side of the stage, a Keziah Jones night at Transbordeur is about sculpting space for detail. We tune the room to highlight wood and skin—the woody bite of an acoustic plugged hot, the slap of open strings, the fingertip taps on the guitar body that function like a hi-hat and snare. Our lighting team builds warm, amber-rich palettes that echo Lagos sunsets and Parisian club nights, then snaps into saturated blues and violets when the groove goes electric. The set typically rises in waves: a few bare-bones pieces where the audience can lean into the lyrics; mid-show stretches where bass, guitar, and percussion lock into cyclical rhythms; a clutch of crowd-rousing hits; and an encore that feels almost like a street jam. Sightlines are clear across the floor and balconies, so you’ll catch the micro-gestures—the wrist flicks, the heel drops—that drive his polyrhythms. Come ready to move, sing, and meet the blufunk pulse up close at Transbordeur.