Alogte Oho & His Sounds of Joy

The collective Sounds of Joy brought their wholesome exuberance all the way from Bolgatanga, Ghana to our city for this year's Norwich and Norfolk festival. Born in southern Ghana, gospel singer Alogte Oho took to the stage inside Adnamns Spiegeltent to wow us with his passionate music.

And wow us he did, using tracks from his album O Yinne!, Alogte Oho & His Sounds of Joy fuses reggae, afrobeats and gospel music in mellifluous sounds, completely enamouring the audience. The Fafara Gospel music spoke to you in ways words could not. Though I'm not religious myself, the passion curated from a young age and years of involvement in his village's church resonated through the crowd. It's clear that for Alogte Oho and His Sounds of Joy, this talentful rejoicing comes naturally. Born of love and passion - something not easily replicated. Going from wishing as a young boy to join in on his church choir to performing internationally is no small feat, and should be celebrated exactly how it was last night.

The show started off with a bouncy instrumental that combined drums, saxophones, varied keyboards and a trumpet to introduce the crowd to their - what can only be described as - vibrant sounds. Sounds of Joy could not be a more accurate description for the band as they immediately had everyone perking up in their seats and swaying if they stood. It was only a moment later that Alogte and his backup singers Lizzy and Patricia came to the stage with some handheld percussion instruments to complete the group, singing so wonderfully it was hard not to grin.

The musical rhythms would fluctuate to tunes reminiscent of reggae beats to more traditional afrobeats, sometimes unanimous in the way they merged to create a more dynamic arrangement. Their addictive and captivating stage presence had everyone of all ages on their feet by the end of the show. I was completely enthralled by the way they interacted with the audience - making such a small space into one impossibly filled with love and jubilation. They were the epitome of optimism - feverid for their music and those coming to see them.

They gave an incredible show, especially halfway through when they began dancing and encouraged the crowd to get up on their feet and feel the rhythm they were producing. The combination of dancing, interaction and singing had the attendees adrenalized. I'm not much of a dancer myself, usually rather bashful when it comes to attending concerts solo, but even I had to get up and dance, it was hard not to! You could definitely see the inspiration from church services in the way they spoke and vibed with the crowd.

It wasn't till the end of the show when I raced to my mother's car on the roadside and heard her comment “That sounded amazing!” that I realised just how much Alogte Oho and His Sounds of Joy truly spread like a warm, blissful wildfire across the otherwise quiet streets of Norwich