Jaya the Cat at Kino Kabana in Sofia on August 27, 2026 - the Boston reggae-punk trio Europe took to more than America did

Jaya the Cat come to Sofia on August 27, 2026 at Kino Kabana. The band that mixes reggae, ska and punk is one of those names the European alternative audience knows better than the American one, even though it was founded in America.

The group came together in the late nineties in Boston, with Geoff Lagadec on vocals and guitar, Dave Smith on guitar, Hugh Brockmyre on drums and Ben Murphy on bass. The first release „O'Farrell” came out independently but drew enough attention to secure them a deal with Gold Circle Records. The debut album „Basement Style” from 2001 met a far better reception in Europe than at home.

That also determined the band's further fate. After „First Beer of a New Day” in 2003, Smith and Murphy left, and the remaining members moved to Amsterdam, where they were joined by Jan Jaap Onverwagt on bass and Alejandro Londoño on guitar. Since then Jaya the Cat has functioned as a Dutch-American band based in Amsterdam, with an audience coming from both the punk and the reggae scene - a combination you rarely meet in the same room.

The concert starts at 8 pm, and tickets cost 41.11 leva through eventim.bg, around 1,295 denars. Kino Kabana is a smaller-capacity Sofia space, which for a band of this profile usually means a close-up atmosphere you do not get on bigger stages.