Please note that this is a streamed show only.

Thrilled to host a special streamed show from the great Georgian artist, Asiq Nargile, whose debut UK performance was released on our own OTOroku label in 2016.

Based in Tbilisi with deep roots in the Kvemo Kartli/Borçalı region of Southern Georgia, Nargile Mehtiyeva aka Ashiq Nargile has been playing saz (long-neck lute) and singing since the age of 15. Fluent in Azerbaijani and Georgian, Nargile represents the cosmopolitan heritage of old Tbilisi, a city once known as a meeting point for multilingual bards who would travel through the region serving as conduits for news, ideas, music and culture.

A powerful solo performer, her vocal recital of epic folk poetry is by turns ecstatic and deeply expressive, and is interspersed with bursts of virtuosic, highly ornamented saz. Equally comfortable performing moving laments or upbeat folk dances, Nargile is currently the only female bard living and performing in Georgia and has been teaching the art to new generations. She has toured extensively - supporting the likes of Richard Dawson and performing at festivals including Tusk and WOMAD in the UK, Eastern Daze in Belgium and Tomorrow Festival in China- and has been wowing audiences with the elusive, hypnotic beauty of her music.