Dreamflower Collective plays Childish Gambino’s “Awaken, My Love!” (Sheffield)

Sheffield-based fusion band Dreamflower Collective present a unique rendition of Childish Gambino’s magnum opus, “Awaken, My Love!” at Foundry this November.

Sheffield’s 8-piece jazz-funk ensemble Dreamflower Collective will be taking their insatiable live re-interpretation of Childish Gambino’s ‘Awaken, My Love!’ album on tour around the UK this Autumn.

Formed in 2018 through a shared love for jazz, neo soul, hip-hop and funk, Sheffield’s Dreamflower Collective have spent the last few years both writing their own compositions and reworking their favourite music. In their live album re-interpretations, the 8-piece ensemble take a cinematic approach to bring new life to contemporary albums, with an electrifying mix of solos, breakdowns and improvisations, enhancing the emotion and message of the original music.

The collective met whilst studying at the University of Sheffield, having initially been members of different university jazz groups and ensembles. Their diverse influences include Erykah Badu, Stevie Wonder, Snarky Puppy, Hiatus Kaiyote, Tom Misch, Beyonce and Tarika Blue, the latter of whom provided their namesake on the song ‘Dreamflower’.

The band performed their debut live show in 2018 in Sheffield, raising the roof with a lick and groove filled, rhythmic re-interpretation of D’Angelo’s Brown Sugar album. In 2019, their attention turned to another album. Childish Gambino’s 2016 album ‘Awaken, My Love’ was an obvious choice for the band. It’s perfect mash-up of funk leads, soulful vocals and hip-hop rhythms was missing just one element – a jazz finish. Dreamflower Collective have conceived a newly imagined version of the album, with a trio of vocalists, drum machines and piano and guitar solos.

Their debut ‘Awaken, My Love’ show was a roadblock, with over 300 people trying to get into an already packed 400-capacity Bungalows & Bears in Sheffield. Since then, they’ve played two more roadblock shows in Sheffield and their first show outside of the city in Bristol (Lost Horizon) which also sold out. They’re now preparing to take their show on the road around the UK in Autumn 2023.

Dreamflower Collective are:

• Yagmur Adalier
• Gaurav Balli
• Joanna Grey
• Glenn Hicks
• George Kendall
• Leo Koenig
• Matt Richens
• Ignacio Vasquez-Castro