The Award Winning Ghanaian soul-rock band Dark Suburb take mid-2000s alternative influences and combine them with character-driven stage presence, African masquerade, and social philosophy to make waves both in their homeland and in the US market. Combining an uplifting attitude with intensity and powerful, husky vocals, Dark Suburb create a fresh and atmospheric take on rock music. 

Inspired by Western acts such as Coldplay and Linkin Park as well as by other African rock and metal acts, Dark Suburb is a band formed of five characters: lead singer Kankan Bizing, guitarists Shamba and Samory Toure, drummers Shaka Zulu and Alfanso, bassist Khama, and keyboardist Akhenaten. With skeletal masks and rock music, some have pinned Dark Suburb as occult- similar to acts like Black Sabbath- but in truth, the band portray a heroic and benevolent force with the skeleton as a symbol of equality which shows our human similarities beyond ethnic or national boundaries, with unity which is much more than skin deep.  

Taking influences from other heavier Africa-based acts like Arkan and Mvulla, songs like Ego Be and I Dey Feel You Die show off the band’s combination of soulful melodies, distorted guitars, and gritty rock vocals. Dark Suburb rose quickly to the top of the local scene, having played Ghana’s biggest rock stage in 2015, and use the internet to it’s full extent for virtual shows and interviews. They are now planning to put on more live shows and increase their international following, incorporating their full ensemble of traditional African instruments and the ‘ghost dancers’- performance artists who add to their visual spectacle. 

This ambition and creativity in their staging, marketing, and worldwide reach embodies their philosophy of uplifting communities. The very name Dark Suburb refers to the urban slums and rural poor, and from conception they have aimed to rise above music as merely entertainment. Instead, the band use the arts as a force for social good to encourage the self development of the dark suburbs they speak to, arriving semi-mythical and in character onstage to bring soulful healing.