Some gigs are an invitation to take a chance on a name you haven’t yet met. Savana Funk’s upcoming Northern dates offer just that: three musicians from Bologna, a restless musical vocabulary, and a v cool evening with movement at its heart.
The trio land at the Copper Bar at Manchester’s Band on the Wall on Thursday 8 October, before heading to Cobalt Studios in Newcastle on Friday 9 October. With London completing their three-date UK visit, the North gets two opportunities to catch them.
At the heart of Savana Funk are Aldo Betto on guitar, Blake Franchetto on bass and Youssef Ait Bouazza on drums and vocals. They started out in northern Italy in 2015, building a musical partnership that's since taken them well beyond the Emilia-Romagna city.
Their appeal could well lie in the possibilities of that meeting. A guitar-bass-drums trio can be a very inviting open format: enough structure to hold a groove, enough space for individual personalities to make themselves felt. Savana Funk have used it as a starting point for an increasingly expansive sound, taking in psychedelia and dance music alongside their funk and blues foundations.
Their new single, ‘Làbas’, is extending that curiosity. Released on 25 September, it adds to the world of Behind The Eyes, the album that dropped in February this year. Sung in Darija - Moroccan Arabic - the track continues the record’s introspective direction while bringing additional musicians into the picture.
Cello from Andrea Beninati and percussion from Max Castlunger join the trio, with Riccardo Onori contributing saz, a traditional stringed instrument. Those additions tell us all we need to know about the band’s approach: the core partnership is solid, while the range of sounds around it keeps widening.
An earlier collaboration with producer Gaudi, the 2024 EP Raha, explored Afro-Cosmic Disco. This year’s Behind The Eyes was produced by Tommaso Colliva, whose work includes Muse and Calibro 35. Across those projects, there is a clear willingness to let the music develop through encounters with other players and producers.
The live dates bring that story back to its essential setting: musicians and an audience sharing a room.
For MagNorth readers, that's an appealing prospect. Part of the pleasure of a city’s music scene is discovering what arrives from elsewhere - following a recommendation, booking a ticket, and allowing an unfamiliar band to become part of your own listening life. The Band on the Wall team are experts in bringing the best new global sounds to new ears - and Cobalt too has a long-standing rep for broadening our playlists.
Manchester and Newcastle both have a place in this short UK run. Two cities, two rooms, and two chances to discover a band whose musical horizons keep expanding.
If your October diary needs an evening of exploration with a groove running through it, Savana Funk are a name to put in it.
Savana Funk play the Copper Bar at Band on the Wall, Manchester, on Thursday 8 October 2026. The venue lists an 8pm start, with the band on stage at 8.30pm. Manchester tickets.
They play Cobalt Studios, Newcastle, on Friday 9 October 2026. Newcastle tickets.
Header image: Savana Funk. Image: Simone Cecchetti
