AIL Meets… Kongos

After starting out jamming together as teenagers, Jonny, Jesse, Dylan and Daniel Kongos put their surname to good use and started the band Kongos. We caught up with the brothers ahead of their stadium tour with Kings of Leon to talk success, musical influences and the one song they’d all happily listen to for the rest of their lives.

You’re a band of brothers [four in total]. How did you get started and how did the band come together?

We started jamming together as teenagers and really started enjoying it. We started taking it seriously when we recorded our debut album in 2007. It came down to whether we wanted to try being a band or get real jobs… we chose the band.


Had you been in bands with other people before you started Kongos?

Johnny and Jesse had played in a few jazz combos before while they were studying at ASU but other than that, not really.


You’re supporting Kings of Leon on their tour – that’s huge. How did that come about? Are you looking forward to touring with such a massive band?

We're really looking forward to it! They offered an opening slot... we thought about it for about 5 seconds and said yes! Haha!


Playing huge stadiums is going to be a little bit different to the likes of Birthdays that you’ve recently played in London. Are you ready for the sheer size of what’s to come?

We're ready and can't wait! We've had some experience in the States at festivals and also in South Africa when opening for Linkin Park in soccer stadiums so it won't be a total shock. But this will definitely be the most extensive big-venue tour we've done. It's an amazing opportunity and we're looking forward to bringing our show to some huge stages and audiences.


When you started out where did your sound come from? Who were your musical inspirations?

It came from listening to a lot of different music. Our parents raised us on The Beatles, Jackson Browne, opera, African tribal music, Miles Davis... we listened to Dr Dre, Prodigy, Paul Simon etc. We took it all in and tried to do something of our own.


Your father is a musician (folk star Johnny Kongos). Have you ever shared the stage with him?

We did a couple times in South Africa – we played Tokoloshe Man and Sometimes It's Not Enough. It was a lot of fun!


If you could have any musician past or present join you in the band for a tour as the honourable fifth brother who would it be?

Stevie Wonder. Although we'd just wanna be his band.


One of you was born in London, you all grew up in South Africa and now live in the USA. You’re back in London for a few shows – what do you make of the city these days?

It's pretty incredible. The hustle, the life, energy. It's a really exciting city.


You’re getting some sizeable success in the States on both the Billboard Alternative Chart and the main pop chart. Breaking America is a huge deal. What’s next for the band?

We're touring non-stop… booked all the way into next year, haha. Kings Of Leon this summer, One Republic in Europe this fall. We're also always writing and working on new material.


Finally, this might cause some ruction between you – if you all had to decide on just one song that you could listen to for the rest of your life what would it be?

Bob Marley - Sun Is Shining



Kongos’ latest album Lunatic is out now on Epic Records. You can hear their music here.