BCUC – Amakhandela / 13 Feb
(first single out 16 January upcoming album ‘The road is never easy’ out 3rd April)
Amakhamandela (it translates to breaking all the chains) It is the central song on the new album ‚The road is never easy‘ (OH 042). This soulful track dives deep into the history of Soweto and connects this history with the reality of today. „The precious metal has inflicted so much pain“, sing BCUC, „this government has been telling us about being free, but we don’t benefit from being free. We are prepared to bleed and lay down our lives for our black people.” Even thirty years after the end of apartheid people are still suffering and not benefitting from the riches of the soil they live on. “This precious metal”, sing BCUC, “does not reward us for our sacrifice.” The visual image of this frustration is the matchbox design. “These were the matches people used to burn government buildings and cars,” explain BCUC. BCUC keep this flame burning.
BCUC stands for Bantu Continua Uhuru Consciousness: Indigenous funk, hip-hop consciousness and punk rock energy from Soweto, South Africa. From humble beginnings over 20 years ago, the group of friends would rehearse in a shipping container a stone’s throw from the church where Desmond Tutu organised the escape of the most wanted anti-Apartheid activists of Soweto. They kept believing in their dream of self empowerment and have grown into an internationally celebrated band, playing festivals all over the world: Glastonbury West Holts, Roskilde, Afropunk Brooklyn, Worldwide, WOMAD, Fusion, Sziget, FMM Sines, Beaches Brew, Boomtown, Colours of Ostrava, Couleur Café to name just a few. In 2023 the band were honoured with the prestigious WOMEX Artist Award, an accoladeusually reserved for more established artists, a recognition of their fearless work and transformative and transcendental live shows.
On their latest and fifth album, the first on the pioneering Outhere records label, BCUC take listeners on another Afro-psychedelic journey into the soul of Soweto. This new offering feels like a gospel sermon colliding with a punk concert, and much like their live shows, it’s ‘guaranteed to touch untapped corners of your soul,’ (OkayAfrica). BCUC’s music is deeply rooted in history and echoes the voices of the ones who came before. The road was never easyfor the people of Soweto who originally came here to work in the mines of Egoli, the City of Gold, aka Johannesburg. When apartheid finally ended after a long struggle, it was hoped that life would finally improve and problems would be solved. But more than 30 years later, many of those initial hopes and dreams are still waiting to be fulfilled: the road is never easy is all about this struggle.
The road is never easy is BCUC’s first album on Outhere Records. “BCUC have a unique magic,” says Outhere’s Jay Rutledge who produced the album, “it blew our minds. It’s like punk and pure gospel at the same time. Their music can make you dance and it can make you cry all at the same time. And when the song is over, you feel you’re not alone in this world anymore. We felt compelled to do this.”
The album cover is based on a matchbox design, matches being a common household item in South Africa even today. “These were the matches people used to burn government buildings and cars,” explain BCUC. Little messages, addresses or phone numbers used to be scribbled on the back of these boxes; each box a reminder of the strength, resilience and resistance that once drove the struggle for freedom in Soweto. BCUC keep this flame burning.
BCUC will be on tour from April – July through out Europe and the UK
RELEASE SCHEDULE
1st Single: Higher Vibes – 16 January 2026
2nd Single: Amakhandela – 20 February 2026
3rd Single: Umdumakhanda – 13 March 2026
Album: The Road Is Never Easy – 3 April 2026
‘Guaranteed to touch untapped corners of your soul’
— OkayAfrica
‘Without a doubt the best live act I saw’
— Gilles Peterson
★ 2023 WOMEX Artist Award Winners ★
