He Is #1

The Malawi Mouse Boys is a band of eight members - a group of young villagers who have been playing music together and writing songs since they were children. 'He is #1' is their first album - a collection of rootsy and authentic songs of faith and love, reminiscent of the rural, southern sounds of mid-20th century American gospel music. The album is produced by GRAMMY winning producer, Ian Brennan, and released on IRL on 28th May. Landlocked Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world and when not strumming on their rudimentary guitars made from recycled scrap-metal parts, these young musicians make a living selling the local delicacy - mice on sticks as snacks for passing travellers. This is the first time their music has been out of Malawi (in fact the first ever release in the language of Chichewa outside Malawi) and the purity and earnestness of their voices is both enchanting and moving - as if these 14 songs have been found in a time-capsule. Ian Brennan, producer of Tinariwen's recent GRAMMY winning album, 'Tassili', and three-time GRAMMY nominated, has worked with Ramblin' Jack Elliott, TV on the Radio, Flea, Lucinda Williams, Jonathan Richman, Richard Thompson. For Brennan the experience of working with Malawi Mouse Boys was extraordinary: "With vocal-powerhouse, Zondiwe Kachingwe, 22, playing Sam Cooke to 27 year-old Nelson Muligo's Keith Richards, the only obstacle to catching lightning-in-a-bottle musically with these eight young men were tiny spiders that kept crawling into the hard-drive and crashing the mobile system as I recorded on the clay-ground beside their hut." Released in the summer in the UK and Europe, He Is #1 captured the heart and soul of reviewers across the continent, culminating in an invitation to the group to play the WOMAD Festival in the Summer of 2013.