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Music at the Museum 2026: Kirkgate Bateria!

Join us for the next concert in th the Music at the Museum 2026 season as we launch this year’s programme at Bradford Industrial Museum, running alongside our usual events at Cliffe Castle.

Taking centre stage are Kirkgate Bateria! a community percussion group based in Shipley and founded in early 2025. A bateria is a group of drummers, and this one brings powerful, infectious Afro‑Brazilian rhythms from across Brazil, alongside modern funk‑inspired grooves.

The group is led by Alex, an experienced percussionist who previously ran the Manchester‑based Samba band The Republic of Swing for fourteen years. His background includes performances at major North West events such as Parklife, collaborations with DJ Gilles Peterson, two appearances at Rio Carnival, and percussion study in Brazil, Cuba and West Africa.

Although Kirkgate Bateria! is still a young group, they’ve already performed at several charity events and festivals, including the 2025 Saltaire Festival and the 2026 Saltaire World Heritage Day Festival, always going down a storm. Dancing is very much encouraged!