New Orleans is one of the great melting pots of American music, and it is here that the Tank and the Bangas began. The group play a modern - rather than classic - form of blues, jazz and soul. They met at an open mic night in 2011, and their frontwoman Tarriona "Tank” Ball comes from the world of spoken word, something that certainly made a strong impression on their early recordings. Though her lyrics have remained poetic in style, instead of rap, their diverse, happiness-packed songs are dominated by jazz and soul vocals. While neo soul forms the musical core of their sound, they also incorporate alternative R&B, funk, beat, live hip-hop, a wind instrument-rich New Orleans jazz flavour, pop sensibilities, a bit of gospel and a little riff of rock. From their 2013 debut album Think Tank onwards, their music has been marked by a passionate playfulness, something that also characterises their live shows. The wider public began to take note in 2017, when the group won the NPR Tiny Desk Concert Contest, the intimate concert series on American public radio. After the star-making YouTube series helped make their name, they followed it up with their second album, the 2019 Green Balloon, which favoured smash hit-eclectic modern pop music, before the release of its partner album, Red Balloon, in May 2022. All great records, to be sure, yet their songs are even more effective in a live setting - we highly recommend losing yourself in their childlike playfulness.

Presented by: Müpa Budapest