We went for a Nando’s with Azeem Ward

Last night to celebrate the Oxford leg of his whistle-stop UK tour, The Tab sat down for an intimate Nando’s dinner with Azeem Ward. 

The world-famous flautist,  known for his sick skills in woodwind and organising Facebook events, was chatting to the crew from Ox Events with his musical partner Tim (otherwise known as DJ Underbelly) ahead of Azeem’s performance at The Bullingdon on Cowley Road last night.

The whole gang at Nando’s

As we arrived at the cheeky venue Azeem was chatting to people from Ox events, as he and his musical partner Tim, otherwise known as DJ Underbelly, were performing at The Bullingdon on Cowley Road later that night.

Immediately recognisable by their Californian drawl, they invited us to have a seat and we got chatting. Despite his notoriety, Azeem and Underbelly seem just like ordinary students, and are still recovering from a previous tour date in Leeds.

So far, they’ve performed at three venues in the UK. “There’s a great crowd and atmosphere”, says Azeem. “But one performance got a bit crazy: camera flashes practically blinded us during our gig.”

They’re also getting used to the Great British night out, after being approached by a drunk man in Leeds McDonald’s at 2am: “We couldn’t understand what he was saying…his accent was so strong.”

A selfie with the modest flautist

But it’s not all bad. Azeem says: “The girls have definitely been present.”

Despite his groupies, Azeem is modest about his newfound celebrity status. In the States he’s less well known, and he’s bowled over by the massive reception he’s been given in the UK. Even his own family are relatively unaware of his massive following.

He says: “They don’t see me as a really big celebrity musician.”

An action shot helping the man of the moment carry his merchandise

Azeem and DJ Underbelly (Tim) laugh awkwardly as they tell us how many times people have come up to them asking for a quick selfie, but he doesn’t consider himself a celebrity just yet.

Instead he’s profound: “When you play, it’s all about the soul and mind.”

With quiet confidence, he tells us about his current projects in America, performing with Underbelly as they meld jazz, hip-hop and classical music into their gigs. The unlikely duo met at an open mic night and hit it off from there.

They’re now set to release an actual album. Azeem promises: “It’s gonna be the freshest mixtape of the year.”

Ready to bring flute jazz hip-hop to the masses

Azeem’s dream is to make the flute, the instrument he’s played for the past twelve years, into something more cool and prominent.

The duo are yet to release an actual album, but when they do, one can be confident that it will be the “freshest mixtape of the year”.

Azeem and Underbelly will be coming back to Oxford on the 9^th October to perform at the newly refurbished Emporium, otherwise known as Camera.

With already 900 tickets sold, you’d better get yours quick.