!Akimbo - Here with Us (2024)

Formed in the mid-1990s, Akimbo was a short-lived acid jazz/fusion band founded by former Jamiroquai drummer Nick van Gelder and The Brand New Heavies’ (BNH) guitarist Simon J. Bartholomew. Soon after forming, Bartholomew’s BNH bandmate Nick Seymour was recruited on bass. The band’s line-up was completed by percussionist Kofi Kari-Kari, keyboardist Jessica Lauren, and vocalist Marcina Oswald. The band’s first release was the track “On Top” featured on the 1996 various artist’s compilation Sound 1 – 0 (1996). They released their debut album, also called On Top, in 1998. The album was mostly instrumental with Arnold singing lead on three of the tracks. The band’s best-known track was the album’s single “Everybody Knows”. Akimbo split up after the album was released, but resurfaced in 2012 with Gelder, Bartholomew, Seymour, and Kari-Kari from the original line-up.