The Red Earth Collective is a band drawn from alumni of Youthsayers, the youth music charity run by Soothsayers founders Robin Hopcraft and Idris Rahman.

Youthsayers provides free music opportunities for young people to experience group music-making in culturally relevant genres such as afrobeat, jazz and reggae. The Red Earth Collective serves as a platform for post-18 alumni to continue exploring this music in professional settings with independence and full autonomy.

The line-up is a flexible collective of young musicians emerging onto the music scene, grounded in collaborative music-making through Youthsayers’ bands, workshops and mentorship programmes.

Their music is chosen, arranged and composed by the band, blending high-energy afrobeat grooves—from Fela Kuti to contemporary sounds from today’s global scene—with classics and rare gems from the reggae, jazz and dub canon. Fresh energy and original interpretations give the group a distinctive identity, shaping their exuberant and joyful sound.

Regular performances across London and beyond—including their Jazz Cafe debut last year, Jazz in the Round, and a monthly residency at Brixton’s long-running venue The Effra—have cemented their creative identity and built a growing fanbase drawn to their upbeat, hypnotic and life-affirming grooves.