Date: October 3rd, 2026
Venue: The Boardwalk
Address: 105 Brunswick Street, Glasgow, Glasgow City
G1 1TF
In collaboration with U Belong Glasgow, MARSM Scotland are delighted to bring Saber Bamatraf, Fatima Soliman with John Zhang, and Maz & The Phantasms to present an evening of classical and contemporary sounds from a range of SWANA Scotland-based artists.
About the artists:
Saber Bamatraf is a Yemeni pianist and composer based in Edinburgh. A self-taught musician, his work blends personal storytelling with social themes, shaped by years of artistic practice and humanitarian work during the war in Yemen. After facing threats because of his public artistic practice, Saber relocated to Scotland in 2020 through the IIE Artist Protection Fund and was hosted by the University of Edinburgh’s Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH). He has performed and appeared at major festivals, conferences and platforms, including the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, TED and the BBC. Saber is currently completing a Master’s in Music Composition at the University of Edinburgh, where his project explores and reinterprets Scottish tunes that circulated in his birthplace, Aden, during the British colonial period.
Egyptian mezzo-soprano Fatima Soliman is currently an undergraduate student at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. She has performed as a member of the semi-chorus for the BBC SSO's production of Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius and joined the chorus for Mozart’s Idomeneo with the Alexander Gibson Opera School, as well as participating in a contemporary music performance, directed by Colin Currie, which featured Steve Reich’s Music for Mallet Instruments and John Adams’ Grand Pianola. Fatima is a member of The National Opera Academy singers for 2025/2026. She was a part of the RSNO Chorus's rendition of Berlioz's Grande Messe des Morts and a cover for the role ‘’Pâtre’’ in Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortiléges, conducted by Thomas Søndergård.
Maz and the Phantasms are a high-energy psychedelic surf-punk band from Glasgow, fronted by Catalan-Egyptian artist Maz alongside Jamie Sparkles (guitar), Jude Norton-Smith (bass) and Toby Valentine (drums). Born out of dive bars, DIY tours and late-night jams, the Phantasms stitch together beach-goth guitars, slinky basslines, spooky synths and a hint of spaghetti-western swagger. Equal parts punk and charity-shop glam, their shows are chaotic, sweaty and dramatic—where rock’n’roll collides with queer theatrics and the party always gets a little unhinged. For years, the band have been grinding their way through the underground, touring across Europe via squats, DIY venues, living rooms and free parties—anywhere with a half-working PA and people ready to move. They’ve stayed proudly under the radar, building a cult following the old-school way, but are now on the brink of breaking out of that underground world. Their recent performance at Scotland’s international music convention Wide Days marks their first major step into wider recognition. Their debut self-titled EP bottles that raw, unfiltered energy. Led by the single “Voices in My Head”, a surf-punk anthem for restless souls dancing to their own beat, the EP captures the band’s signature blend of grit, glamour and ghostly groove.
Order of events:
6:30pm – Doors open
7:00pm – Saber Bamatraf
7:40pm – Fatima Soliman with John Zhang
8:20pm - Maz & The Phantasms
9:30pm – End
Part of Funoun Scotland Festival by MARSM: a three-day multidisciplinary celebration of contemporary Arab and SWANA creativity.
Supported using public funding by Creative Scotland.
