Wust El Balad
Wust El Balad consists of eight talented guys coming from different musical backgrounds from all across the country (Egypt) who joined together in Downtown, Cairo forming one of the most successful bands in Egypt today. Wust El Balad performs an amazing blend of sounds, combining traditional Arabic music with modern and Western twist. Their musical aim was to ensure their music was as accessible as possible – not just in Cairo but far beyond.
Band Members:
Hany Adel- Guitarist and Vocalist
Ahmed Omran- Oud player and Vocalist
Ismail Fawzy- Guitarist and Vocalist
Adham El Said- Vocalist
Ahmed Oma- Guitarist
Asaad Nessim- Guitarist
Ihab Abdel Hamid – Percussionist
Mohammed Gamal Aldin- Percussionist
History:
The story began when Hany Adel, guitarist and vocalist and Ahmed Omran, Oud player and vocalist, formed Al Far Al Roumadi or The Grey Rat Band. The idea of this name was to recount the stories both heard and witnessed by the small rat that sneaks into many houses. To fulfill the dream, combining a diversity of sounds, the two began to look for more musicians.
Playing at Ahawi, Hany and Omran made several acquaintances, Ismail Fawzy, guitarist and vocalist and Ihab Abdel Hamid – percussionist were next to join. The addition of base guitarist Ahmed Omar, guitarist Asaad Nessim and percussionist Mohammed Gamal Aldin gave Wust El Balad a more rounded and electric sound, counterbalanced by the unique traditional oriental voice of Adham El Said, which added to Wust El Balad the missing spice.
Their vision was to reach the average person that couldn’t afford listening to their music or seeing them perform in bars or galleries. They were the first band to invade the streets of Cairo, experiencing the most sensational audience amidst amazing concerts, playing in Al-Alfi Street to the local community during the French festival Les Francais aiment l’Egypte, and later traveled throughout Egypt.
Whether playing at Al Qala’a Festival at the Citadel or at the Cairo Jazz Club, a great magnetic energy is to be noticed and felt between the band members and the audience, who always commence to sing and sway to the music, dancing and clapping their hands to the soft rhythm and fantastic beat.
Appearances/ Concerts:
-Their first appearance as Wust El Balad Band was at Al Mashrabeya Gallery. Since then, Wust El Balad has become a regular performer at most galleries, cultural centers, bars and sometimes special events and hotels.
- In collaboration with German Goethe Cultural Institute, the mayor of Stuttgart invited Wust El Balad Band to perform in Germany; to their amazement a thrilling audience of 10,000 was present.
- Another outstanding performance was when Wust El Balad Band participated in the Centennial Celebration of Heliopolis, Cairo sponsored by the First Lady of Egypt, Suzan Mubarak. The residents of Heliopolis in Cairo swarmed the venue.
