Guitarist & kora player

I'm on a life-long mission to learn to play the guitar and (more recently) the Kora, a type of harp from West Africa. You can see videos of my playing and get the latest updates on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.

My story...

After picking up the Spanish guitar aged 13, I quickly became fascinated by choro music from Brazil. My love of music from all around the world had begun! In 2001, I founded Smerin's Anti-Social Club with the same group of friends that still play in the band to this day. The Buena Vista covers are long gone now, replaced with an eclectic blend of influences and an energy that have seen the band become regulars on the UK's festival circuit.

In recent years, I've taken up playing the kora and fallen in love with the music of the Mandinka people of West Africa. In 2018 I travelled to Senegal and The Gambia, and encountered some incredible musicians who I have written about in the blog, including Mafu Conteh, Watcha and Alia balafon.

“It must be a great feeling to know that you’ve made your own name a synonym for good-time fun, but that’s just what George Smerin has achieved with his eponymous Anti-Social Club.” Tony Benjamin, Venue Magazine 2014

Thanks Tony, it certainly is! 😃