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Berlin-based psychedelic desert rock band Jamila & The Other Heroes exudes revolution, freedom, and empowerment. The band was named after singer Jamila Al-Yousef’s Palestinian grandmother, and they are particularly known for their songs advocating Palestinian rights and liberation.
The band’s latest single, “Layla,” means “night” in Arabic. The song was written as a comforting melody amid the fear and loss experienced in the shadow of the Gaza genocide. It honors the nights spent awake out of concern and love.
Visiting Finland for the first time, the five-piece band will bring the festival audience desert-like psychedelic guitar riffs, Arabic percussion rhythms, and enchanting vocal melodies in English and Arabic.
The band’s song “Border Syndrome” won the Best Music Video award at the European Short Film Festival and the Indian One Earth Awards in 2021.
Jamila & The Other Heroes was formed in 2016, and their debut album “Sit El Kon” (The Grandmothers of the Universe) was released in 2020. The band’s second full-length album, “Bazaar Bizarre,” was released in 2023. The band has toured extensively in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and North America.
I see us musicians as the washing machine of society – we create spaces to process the polycrisis of our world and to make space for heavy emotions like grief and anger. I see it as my role to confront the violent systems shaping our lives. My concerts are ritual spaces for community care and collective action. As part of the Palestinian diaspora, I carry my ancestors with me — their struggles and their deep love for life — and I honor them by musically fighting for liberation and allowing joy to be part of the resistance. I sing about my family and my experiences in Palestine, but for me, Palestine ultimately stands as a universal reminder that freedom is something we must practice together, in solidarity. Because no one is free until we all are free.
