Sunday Concerts for Assange with Ngaio and Setareh

On Sundays Only on Youtube!

Sunday at Noon PST/15h EST/20h GMT on Assange Defense, Stella Assange, we are premiering concerts from musicians around the world in support of Julian Assange.

An eclectic mix of never before streams on Youtube, the series include live, acoustic and home studio music sets from musicians including James Kennedy from the Underdogs, Adelchi & Jes, David Rovics, Ben Mitchell, Mark Chadwick from the Levellers, Gabriel Moreno, Alabama 3, Siobhan O’Brien, Jessie Grace, Rick DellaRatta, Banda POPolare Emilia Rossa, Viva la Muerte, Andrea Brosio, Peter Conway and many more to come.

We will have Jesse Jett on March 24 and William Crighton on March 31!

Last Sunday’s Concert for Assange was with Ngaio and Setareh!

Watch it now on Youtube.

Last Sunday’s Concert for Assange featured two amazing musicians! Setareh performed a mini set followed by the premiere of Ngaio’s new single, “Who We Are”.

New Single Available Now! Click here.

Read more about the new single on Bristol247 here.

An Interview with Setareh.

You've decided to join the fight and speak up for Julian, in an industry where many may find it expedient to keep silent. How did you come to care about this cause?

Setareh: What drew me to Julian Assange’s case was my bewilderment at how a democratic state could prosecute and incarcerate someone for exposing the truth about horrific, wide-scale war crimes committed in the name of patriotism and profitability.

Assange allowed the public a glimpse into the actual catastrophe of war and military brutality. If we care about truth, human rights, social justice, and free press, then we should condemn Assange’s imprisonment.

What's the most important thing you'd like people to understand about Julian’s case?

Setareh: I want to live in a world where voices like Julian Assange’s are not silenced, but embraced.

A force to be reckoned with, NGAIO is more than just a singer.

This powerhouse of a performer can switch from a killer DJ set to delivering intricate jazz harmonies with a voice that could have stepped out of the 1940s, to heart hitting spoken word.

It’s rare to find a performer with this many strings to their bow. NGAIO’s versatility as an artist has seen her moving audiences to standing ovations in St George’s Hall with a soul striking vocals, spark tears though truth laden lyrics, destroy dancefloors with selections old and new that take crowds on a journey of nostalgia and discovery and sometimes combine all three!

As well as performing, NGAIO founded Booty Bass as a space for women and non binary folk to come together and play big, bad, unapologetic bangers. Since its conception in 2018 it’s become a space that promotes an appreciation of different cultures and sounds from across the world where dancing and laughing is key.

Over the past year NGAIO has performed at Glastonbury, Shambala, Boomtown and Powerhouse Festivals. As well as in Lille and Reims in France. This year she ran her own venue, Obsidian, with Booty Bass and Shade Cartel. Previously a regular on SWU FM she has also appeared on Kiss FM, BBC 1Xtra, BBC6 Music, BBC Introducing and Trickstar Radio.

You've decided to join the fight and speak up for Julian, in an industry where many may find it expedient to keep silent. What do you think formed your political perspective and activation?

Ngaio: As an artist, journalist, critical thinker and someone fighting for a more just and equitable world, to see this vindictive behaviour being played out to destroy someone for telling the truth and embarrassing those in power, shows societally we are at a crucial point when looking at freedom of speech. We all have a responsibility to use our voices against injustices - no matter how big or small our voices may seem.

How did you come to care about this cause?

Ngaio: When I read the Wikileaks report I remember thinking how brave it was for this individual to report on such a powerful institution that could - and most likely would - destroy his life. The report was shocking but it also allowed for transparent conversation, which is what good journalism should do. It went beyond what we’re ‘allowed to know’ as a society and treated us as adults rather than being spoon-fed a certain narrative. I was thankful for that and also thankful that Stella Assange has been tireless in getting his side of the story into the world.

What's the most important thing you'd like people to understand about Julian’s case?

Ngaio: If Julian is extradited to the US he faces 175 years of imprisonment - for sharing information with the public that shines a light on the violence being conducted behind closed doors and holding up a mirror to hypocrisy. This is completely unacceptable and if it does go through, is the first domino on restricting access to freedom of speech and investigative journalism.

For more information on Ngaio, check out her linktr, follow her on Facebook, Threads and Instagram.

Check out Stella’s interview with Ngaio on Soho Radio.

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