The duo were back on stage at Kentish Town Forum in November. But the night after that, just two miles down the road at Islington Assembly Hall, British band Oi Va Voi spread ruach with a joyful show of virtuoso musicianship, contemporary dance beats mixed with traditional klezmer, and Jewish pride. It feels like “a north London Jewish wedding” quipped the London outfit’s co-founder and clarinettist Steve Levi-Kallin at the end of a show that was nothing short of triumphant.
Grace Abrams, bottom left, Haim, and Jacob Alon, bottom right.[Missing Credit]
Not forgetting that a few months earlier, shows in London and Bristol by Israeli rock musician Dudu Tassa (who is of Iraqi-Jewish and Yemeni descent), and Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood were cancelled due to pressure from pro-Palestinian groups. Yes, we are talking about a beautiful musical partnership between two artists who have collaborated and released music since 2008, and whose 2023-released joint album of Arabic love songs, Jarak Qaribak – meaning “your neighbour is your friend” – brought together vocalists and musicians from across the Middle East.
In a letter, Greenwood and Tassa condemned the censorship and silencing of their music: “Forcing musicians not to perform and denying people who want to hear them an opportunity to do so is self-evidently a method of censorship and silencing.”
Soon after, Oi Va Voi were subjected to that same treatment, when gigs promoting their fifth album The Water’s Edge were abruptly cancelled in Bristol and Brighton. But not only did they rise defiant to play their thrilling homecoming show at the 1,000-capacity Islington Assembly Hall, months after a sell-out gig at Bush Hall in May – they also released a new and very Jewish song.
In response to those cancellations, the band decided that instead of posting a message on social media they would make a powerful musical “statement” in the form of Back to My Roots. Based on a klezmer melody that has been played live by the band since they formed more than 20 years ago, this catchy and moving paean to belonging dialled up their Jewish sound for diaspora Jews who “feel unheard”. And in Islington we were introduced to the spellbinding vocals of their new guest singer Shaindel Teifenbrum.
Dudu Tassa; Rose Gray; and Daniel Rachel's 'This Ain't Rock n Roll'.[Missing Credit]
“Sometimes the Jewish element of what we do is a lot more subtle,” Josh Breslaw, co-founding member and drummer, told the JC. "On this song, we cranked it up because it felt like what we needed to do at this time. It’s loud and proud. It’s celebrating everything we’ve ever stood for as a band.”
There was more turmoil in September, when the cultural boycott initiative No Music for Genocide was launched with hundreds of musicians, including Massive Attack and Primal Scream, calling on artists to remove their music from Israeli streaming platforms (geo-blocking).
And in the same year that Daniel Rachel charted rock and pop music’s problematic fascination with fascism and Nazi imagery in his excellent new book, This Ain’t Rock ‘n’ Roll, Primal Scream broadcast images of the Star of David entwined with a swastika in the eyes of Benjamin Netanyahu at their Roundhouse show in December. The venue apologised afterwards.
Music will always be a source of comfort and a unifier. The wonderful voices of chazans Jonny Turgel and Steven Leas lifted spirits at Campaign Against Antisemitism marches, and songs of hope were sung at rallies calling for the release of hostages.
So let us end our year in music on a note of positivity. One to watch in 2026 is undoubtedly Sienna Spiro, a London-based Jewish singer-songwriter with a rich soulful voice inspired by Etta James, and who scored a Top 10 UK single with the powerfully heart-hugging ballad Die on This Hill in October. It was a breakthrough track for Spiro, who is now signed to Sony and shortlisted for the BBC Sound of 2026 and one of three artists shortlisted for the BRITS Critics’ Choice, alongside Jacob Alon and Rose Gray.
That previous winners for the latter prize include the likes of Adele, Florence and the Machine, Dua Lipa and Ellie Goulding suggests that we have a (very six-pointed) star in our midst. And to think she only released her debut single Need Me in 2024. Watch this space for the winner announcement in January and book – if you can – for her live tour in 2026.
