Eskenderella was formed in 2001 by a group of passionate musicians from the city of Alexandria, Egypt. Throughout the first year and a half of their existence, they performed live concerts in different cultural spots in their city. The band subsequently went on hiatus for a number of years, but recently resumed its activities with renewed vitality and an increased line-up.

Upon returning to the stage, they added some original compositions to their musical repertoire, with texts written by leadings poets Fouad Hadad and Naguib Shehab el Deen, and young poet Ahmed Hadad, among others. Relying chiefly on Eastern instruments in its live set-up, Eskenderella also performs famous songs by Sayyed Darwish, Sheikh Imam and Ziad Rahbani.

Eskenderella’s music and lyrics provide a vital commentary on current social conditions in their home country, oftentimes bordering on open criticism of their elders’ passive attitudes; they bring to life the dreams of their nation’s youth, those millions of young people eager for change… The band even goes regional at times, criticizing Arab leaders in the song “Guevara died”. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.