The Amigos

The Amigos

The Amigos is a group from the United Kingdom associated with English funk and ska. The name is used by two different acts, one of which is a South London band built around a changing line-up and a live show focused on performance and stylistic variety, and the other a longer-established acoustic ensemble with a large international repertoire.

South London funk/ska group

One version of The Amigos is a band based around a flexible membership, with new players joining the front line as performances develop. Its music draws on mixed influences and aims at a live, circus-like presentation rather than a fixed formula. The group begins with several South London shows, including sell-out performances at The Venue in New Cross and Brixton’s Jamm. It then plays regularly as opportunities arise and appears at a number of festivals over the summer.

A support slot for Alabama 3 at St Albans Arena leads to interest from record companies. After that, the band meets drum and bass producer DJ Wickaman and decides to work with him on its first album project.

Acoustic repertoire group

The other Amigos is a UK group founded by guitarists Gary Phillips and Andy King. Its line-up includes violinist Billy Thompson, accordion player Nigel Hopkins and double bassist Andy “Wal” Coughlan. The group has a repertoire of more than 500 tunes and songs, covering gypsy jazz, traditional gypsy music, Hot Club jazz, Hungarian, Yiddish, Russian, musette, Latin, Spanish, Tex-Mex, samba, rumba, calypso and Celtic styles.

This ensemble performs at festivals including Brecon Jazz Festival, Pontardawe International Folk Festival and Warwick/Leamington Festival, and it also appears in the UK, abroad and in the USA. It is known for changing style quickly across different musical traditions during its performances.