Baba Ali

Photo by Sean Dower

Name, where are you from?
BABA ALI (Baba and Nik), Baba is from America and Nik is from England, we are now based in London.

Describe your style in three words?
B: All that glitters.
N: Shirt, shoes, trousers.

What’s the best gig you’ve ever been to?
We went together to see Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds headline All Points East. We got there early, saw a few other acts including Patti Smith who was on just before. By the time Nick Cave and co. arrived on stage, we were already quite out of our minds and had shoved our way to the front of the crowd. At the crescendo of 'Jubilee Street' Mr. Cave leaned right onto us, and while we held him up, he looked us dead in the eyes as we all wailed “Look At Me Now!" Towards the end of his set, he encouraged the audience to come up on stage, and we hurdled over the barricades and danced along to 'Stagger Lee', with Kylie Minogue to the side of the stage looking on. We also gave Warren Ellis the biggest hug after it was all over.

If you could be on the line up with any two artists in history?
Without a doubt, it would be Suicide and Grace Jones. Both acts have a serious intensity to them but it feels like different sides of the coin. Suicide are more rough, whereas Grace Jones' performances feel far more graceful - excuse the pun. We saw Grace Jones play live once and she hula hooped through the entire performance. I think Baba Ali could fit in well alongside that energy.

Which subcultures have influenced you?
B: New York in Basquiat’s 'Downtown 81' film is pretty influential, I’d say. The film perfectly captures the creative scene of the Lower East Side in 1980-81 at a moment when there was a vibrant and diverse community of artists and musicians living on the cheap, mixing with each other, and forging new radical ideas.

If you could spend an hour with anyone from history?
N: Jack Nicholson. I want a great drinking buddy for an hour, and Jack Nicholson fits the bill for me. He’d have endless, fantastic, hilarious tales. It wouldn’t be too serious but I reckon he’d take an unexpected turn around the forty-minute mark. Then, he’d probably drop some serious sh*t on me that doesn't leave the mind for weeks after.

Of all the venues you’ve been to or played, which is your favourite?
We love every venue that will have us, but the Brudenell in Leeds is one that we reserve a special place for in our hearts. Lovely people, well-priced drinks, pies... What more do you need? Big love to Pete and Jill!

Your greatest unsung hero or heroine in music?
Jamie Hince. Probably one of the coolest people in the world. We had the honour of working with Jamie for a couple of weeks and he turned out to be a brilliant dude. Really funny and entertaining, as well as being super generous with his time. Obviously, we're big fans of his guitar playing, but we also think his work with drum programming and beat making is really great. He is a real inspiration for us.

Baba Ali will release their new double A-side single 'Living It Up / Black & Blue' on 18th February 2022. Pre-order it via lnk.to/living-it-up.

You can catch Baba Ali touring the UK supporting Yard Act throughout February and March, before heading to the US to perform at SXSW. Tickets and details can be found at babaalimusic.com.