Handpicked by Gilles Peterson from Manchester’s vibrant live music scene and signed to Brownswood, Secret Night Gang are a multi-generational band breathing new life into the classic British street-soul sound, founded by singer/song-writer Kemani Anderson, multi-instrumentalist and song-writer Callum Connell.
Kemani started singing as a child in the pentecostal church “I would hear songs sung about life, joy, happiness, sorrow and pain. Hearing such beautiful gospel music growing up as a child and even to this day was and is the reason why I’m so into music now and going forwards. Gospel music has a special place in my heart as it would be the genre of music I would hear my mother sing and shine on the praise and worship team or hear my brother play bass/drums along with the other musicians in the church.” He connected with Callum at school, where they played in the steel pan band together. Having a shared love of writing music they bonded sharing their own influences from gospel, folk, soul funk and R&B. Together, encouraged by their music teacher Tom Burford (aka Rhythm Section’s Contours) they started attending jam nights like ‘Jam Street’ and ‘Matt and Phreds’. From these nights they connected with stalwarts of the live music scene in Manchester, and after a summer of endless late nights spent rehearsing and writing at Old Trafford rehearsal rooms next to a tramyard, decided to form Secret Night Gang. Now joined on stage by accomplished rhythm section Myke Wilson and Juneroy (52nd Street, Jazz Defektors, Corinne Bailey Rae, Swing Out Sister), with Jack Duckham on guitar. Touring internationally to sellout audiences and performing at festivals including Montreux, North Sea Jazz and Primavera the bands first album secured a dedicated following. New recordings see the generations come together to carve out their own lane, a real celebration of exceptional songwriting and musicianship to expand on their indefinable eclectic sound.