Tag Archives: Messenger

Why Is Bongo Closing For Summer (16th July – 31st August) And Where Will I Go Out?

03 July 2023 -

Holidays (700 px)

As happens every year at this time, Bongo will be closing its doors to make way for the Underbelly to take over the lease of the building for the annual Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

We do not make any money from this arrangement.  It’s due to a quirk of our lease with the landlord (Edinburgh City Council).

Bongo’s resident promoters will be running/appearing at the following events during our July/August break:

CLUBS


Midnight Bass
Weekly Tuesdays at Cabaret Voltaire.
Tickets

Overground
Weekly Fridays at The Mash House throughout August.
Tickets

Pulse
w/Sunil Sharpe at The Mash House, Saturday 29th July – Tickets
Pulse x Jackhammer w/The Advent at La Belle Angele, Saturday 5th August – Tickets
w/Slam at The Mash House, Saturday 26th August – Instagram for more info as announced

Disco Makossa
w/Optimistic Soul (Africa Is Now), Friday 18th August – Tickets

Messenger Sound System
w/Mungo’s Hi Fi, Levi Roots & Afrikan Simba, Sat 29th July at Summerhall – Tickets
w/Hometown Hi Fi, Sat 26th August at Summerhall – Instagram for more info as announced

Mumbo Jumbo
Wendy, Steve & Mairi B at Mug Stock, Friday 4th August

Mini-Mumbo at The Street, Saturday 19th August 10pm-5am (FREE EVENT)

GIGS

The Baron Nonesutch LIVE at St Margaret’s House (Art Opening), 7pm, Thurs 10th Aug

Here’s a quick rundown of our Summer Closing Parties 2023:

Friday 30th June: Jackhammer presents I Love Acid w/Luke Vibert, Nightwave and Posthuman, playing acid house and techno.

Saturday 1st July: Messenger Sound System’s Sweet Sounds For The King (Ras Tafari Birthday celebration), playing dub reggae.

Tuesday 4th: Midnight Bass w/Clean Up Crew, 170Lex, JI2001, Kay Dee, Dav, Lara Sinclair, playing drum n bass.

Friday 7th: Truth Hz International DJ Federation w/Elanda, Camoufly, Arthi,
Comrade Massie plus WIZE & MoreNight, SWATT TEAM, Volens Chorus upstairs, all playing club and bass music from across the spectrum.

Saturday 8th: Mumbo Jumbo w/Trendy Wendy, Steve Austin, Mairi B, playing house music and disco plus YBZ Collective upstairs, playing garage, techno, dnb, grime, dub & rave.

Tuesday 11th: Midnight Bass w/ M.O.B (3000 Bass, DnB Lab, 4040 Records), miira,
Hobbes [Hardcore & Jungle Vinyl Set], Harry Jackson (Disorder Edinburgh), playing drum n bass and jungle plus a Club_Nacht Takeover upstairs, playign house music and disco. 

Thursday 13th: Nektar (Charity Event) w/Sadovski (EMS), Katelate (Femmergy, Principle 8)
Item9 (Half Past Now), Evska (EMS, Rave for Ukraine), showcasing techno and bass music by leading queer and Eastern European producers.

Friday 14th: Overground w/Lucky Dip and Wrisk plus guests TBA for a night of hardcore, grime, garage, jungle, club and much more.

Saturday 15th: Tais-toi w/Norwegian techno-trance newcomer MRD, who promotes debut album, Løvehjerte with his unique blend of fast-paced, melodic techno and atmospheric sounds, taking inspiration from the 80s & 90s.”

 

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Messenger Sound System Re-opening Night Party at Bongo this Sat 1st Sept!

31 August 2018 -

It’s been a long, hot summer…  Have you missed us?  Come show the Bongo dance floor some love!

High Grade Sound System Experience
Original Roots Advertiser since ’87…

Conscious Reggae Muzik / Dubwize.
Full Custom Built Sound System.
Good vibes/ heavy duty bass line…

Room 2 – Sound System Legacies with DJ Skillis and crew playing jungle, dub, garage, dubstep.

2 Floors of music – Don’t miss!
Powered by Messenger Sound System.

FACEBOOK

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We’re back this Sat 5th Sept (Autumn ’15 Re-opening Party)!

02 September 2015 -

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Don’t forget we’re now back on the Cowgate and will re-open for business, starting with the mighty Messenger Sound System this Saturday 5th September.

Roots reggae rocking – foundation tune, fresh dubs, vibes alive, rockers, steppers, rub-a-dub.

Scotland’s original [and biggest] roots and culture rasta reggae sound system, Messenger has been spreading the word on their own custom built bass-heavy rig since 1987, with a flame burning brighter than ever today.

 

 

 

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Only a few weeks to go until the Bongo’s Fringe break!

10 June 2015 -

Holidays (700 px)As you may already know, since we moved to our new home underneath George IV Bridge, the terms of our tenancy require us to vacate the premises for the summer months (Sunday 12th July until we reopen on Saturday 5th September this year), so The Underbelly can move in to use the space for the Fringe.

NB Without a venue, we’re unable to run any of our regular nights (or any Fringe events).  We don’t have any control over this, nor do we have any involvement in what happens in the building during this period.  The Underbelly is a completely separate business from The Bongo Club.  It was here first and thus it takes precedence at this time.  Sorry, folks, but ‘them’s the breaks’, to quote an old favourite by hip hop legend Kurtis Blow.

This does mean that things are likely to get pretty bouncy around here, as we get geared up for our enforced leave of absence, not least at Messenger, far-and-away our longest running night (established in 1987 and running at the Bongo since 1996), which is on the final night before we close (Saturday 11th July).  Here’s how their last dance before summer went off last year:

The next few weeks are also likely to be a lot of fun, as people make the most of the final parties of the season from our other residents:

There’s a free party from resident techno dons Substance this Friday 12th June; Saturday 13th is the penultimate Messenger party with MC Ramon Judah; Rally & Broad cap a tremendous season for them early eve on Fri 19th, while bass supremos Electrikal get geared up for a busy summer on the festival circuit later that night; Saturday night party-starters Mumbo Jumbo keeps things bouncing on Sat 20th; soul-jazz and funk boys Four Corners and grime dons Big n Bashy have their last blasts of the trumpet on Fri 26th and Sat 27th respectively, while garage/techno/house party Headset and soul champs Soulsville have their final blow-outs on Fri 3rd and Sat 4th July.

 

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Reggae legend Earl Sixteen plays Messenger, Sat 1st Nov

25 October 2014 -

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RESCHEDULED DATE (from July): Jamaican singer Earl John Daley, aka Earl Sixteen, is more than a bit of a legend in reggae circles, with a musical career going right back to the mid-Seventies, having been born in Kingston in 1958.

His early years included work with many other reggae greats: Joe Gibbs, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, Earl Morgan (The Heptones),  Boris Gardiner, with singles for Linval ThompsonAugustus PabloClement ‘Coxsone’ DoddSugar MinottYabby You, and Derrick Harriott, a debut album with Mikey Dread, two more with Roy Cousins and a collection of early material consequently released by evergreen label Studio One.

Having settled in England in the mid-Eighties, after a spell in the US, he met UK dub don Mad Professor, working with him and Stafford Douglas, among others, successfully covering Simply Red’s chart hit Holding Back The Years.  He returned to Jamaica to work with King Jammy and, come the early Nineties, was back in the UK lending his vocal cords to UK dance legends Leftfield (on Release The Pressure, as featured on their massive Leftism album), consequently joining UK electronica/reggae band and festival mainstays Dreadzone, in 1995.   See Dreadzone playlist.

He had his a major label debut, Steppin Out (WEA), in 1997 (also nominated for a MOBO award, no less) and has been touring with Dreadzone and as part of Leftfield’s tour-band worldwide ever since.  Having started his own label, Merge Prodcuction, mainly for previously unreleased productions from the late Seventies and Eighties, he put out a new album as Earl Sixteeen meets Manasseh, Walls Of The City, in 2013.

In short, this live show is not to be missed!  See full biog and discog on Wikipedia.

Tickets (£10) on the door only.

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We’re back! Autumn ’14 Re-opening Party

03 September 2014 -

bongo_returns_sept_14_web

We hope you’ve had a good summer and enjoyed the Festival.  It’s been eight whole weeks since we last opened our doors.  Feels a bit too long, doesn’t it…?

All good now, though!  We finally re-open for business this Saturday 6th September, with the mighty Messenger taking the helm for our re-launch party, welcoming special guest MC Ramon Judah (who makes his Edinburgh debut).

Check out this ace video from their last night (also our summer closing party) in July for a wee taste of what to expect on Saturday…   Just click image below to watch the clip.

Messenger_video_grab

 

Buy Tickets here.

 

 

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