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Concert Review
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FLY Global Music Culture, Concert Review >>
By: Damian Rafferty
Although Tinariwen have played the UK lots of times, it has usually been part of a mixed bill and so here was a rare chance to see a long set from the Tamashek sensations. With pretty much the entire UK press behind them (and not just the ‘world music’ crowd), there was a pretty heavy level of anticipation…
The night started though with a short set by Robert Plant’s guitarist Justin Adams in a trio thrown together for the occasion. The group featured the Gambian one-string fiddle player Juldeh Camara and a gnarled percussionist who could have come straight from playing with Gong, complete with wizard outfit.
If Tinariwen have fought hard to upset the apple stall of pre-conceptions raised by the idea of a ‘world music’ band, I think it would be fair to say that Justin Adams did his level best to put all the apples back in place and even polish them a little too. Juldeh is a rare and wonderful talent on fiddle and banjo, the wizard dude holds his own and Justin is both a talented guitarist and an integral part of the fairy tale that brings a band of desert musicians to wider attention. All the same, white guy playing slide guitar, hippy wizard clanking things and African musician bowing a one-stringed fiddle in the precious surrounds of the Barbican was perhaps at odds with Tinariwen’s new image.
The main band doled out their musical goodies slowly. Anyone expecting them to come on like the Rolling Stones, would have been surprised to see them build slowly and carefully the atmosphere and energy levels of the songs. Lead singer Ibrahim started the show solo with his sad voice and guitar less a permanent fixture than a recurrent theme that would be used and switched off throughout the night with Ibrahim on stage only about half the time.
By about half way through the set, things were really starting to warm up though and there were a few surprises thrown in: I nearly had to rub my ears but I could swear they were rapping in French and Tamashek for one song. Tinariwen have a big back catalogue of songs to choose from but for some reason, they kept the first half on a very similar tone, which was a shame. These guys can hit a groove at a hundred yards stone cold but when their more interesting melodic aspects come into play at the same time, the result is truly wonderful to behold.
For an encore, they played not one but three songs and I would gladly have swapped the rest of the show for the energy and passion of those three songs.
Tinariwen return to London on December 12th at the Shepherds Bush Empire and I would expect that show to be punchier and harder in the grungier surrounds of West London’s famous stand up venue.
(Check out the 'go there' link for concert pics.) 03/24/07 >> go there
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