Fanna-Fi Allah Sufi Qawwali

There are few events in Brighton’s September programme that promise an experience quite as immersive as Fanna-Fi Allah, the internationally acclaimed Sufi Qawwali ensemble appearing at Komedia on 16 September. Now in their 26th year of international touring, the group has performed across more than 50 countries, carrying the centuries-old tradition of South Asian shrine music to audiences far beyond its original spiritual setting.

Qawwali is devotional music, but it is also music of extraordinary physical power. Led by Tahir Qawwal, Fanna-Fi Allah build their performances around harmonium, tabla, choral vocals and hand-clapping, gradually intensifying rhythms and repeated vocal phrases until the music takes on an almost hypnotic momentum. Their repertoire draws on the poetry of Sufi mystics including Amir Khusrau and Baba Farid, with the performers seeking not simply to entertain but to create a communal atmosphere of spiritual ecstasy and transcendence.

Importantly, this isn't a contemporary fusion project:…