Songhoy Blues

View fullsize

23.03.17

Omeara (London Bridge)

As soon as I received notification that Songhoy Blues were playing in town, I knew it was an evening I had to attend. I hadn’t listened extensively to the bands repertoire (e.i Album by Album), however had been absolutely attached through a few key songs. These desert punk and blues songs I believe are attractive to everyone who enjoys a taste of the worldlier music. I found that my ‘punk-loving’ Godfather was even envious of my ticket, so it seems that Songhoy have managed tospread their net far and wide, catching the interest of a huge demographic.

    The band released their debut album ‘Music in Exile’ via Transgressive Records label in onlyFebruary 2015. In that very short two years, the band have managed to secure global acclaim and have highlighted themselves an explosive band dominating the ‘desert blues’ genre. 

    It was for this reason that the venue came as a little surprise as it’s not the largest (by far) of venues. It seemed that the evening was set to be an intimate performance as apposed to the larger capacity space I’m sure they could pull off. 

   The Omega is a fantastic little venue, with an incredibly exciting buzz. With a wonderful, if slightly confusing lay out, you can get lost in the little mysterious stairways that lead to upstairs bars, that themselves hang over a dance floor bellow. With twists and turns here and there you’ll be forever discovering small places to enjoy a beer, have a chat or get a bite to eat. Some may not even notice that beside their eating and drinking; there is a modest venue playing live music. 

    Upon arrival I was treated by extremely polite staff who directed me to the venue and gave us the obligatory stamp on the wrist and in we went. 

   Set in a all-brick arch, with a theatre-esc stage, the space is wonderful for live music, with the sound bouncing of the arched ceilings it created a small and intimate space for the audience. Given it’s size and sound quality it seemed nearly impossible to get a ‘bad’ standing space for the performance. The space of the whole building, and especially the stage area is a marvellous feat of old and new, the art with the classic architecture and innovation. It feels as though you are standing in an old underground with the best speakers and music tech surrounding you. The stage reminds me of an old pop-up book I had when I was younger, at one level we have the room and audience, then the stage pops up, then the performers pop up one behind, then finally a wall block of myst and lights to really set each layer apart. 

   Songhoy Blues came out on the stage and jumped immediately into their up-beat fast paced song; Soubour. The guitars really had an amazing sound, with the two lead guitarist playing on classic Gibson Les Pauls; their crisp sound resonated through the tiny arched space engulfing the whole room. The energy never failed to fall as they jumped straight into their next track, the extremely recogniseable Al Hassidi Terei. 

 It soon came to fruition however, that this amazing space was somewhat ‘un-drummer friendly’, seen as I came to realise that all I could see of the drummer was the occasional drum stick poking through the mist. Something the venue needs to work on, however it really must be said that the overall effect of having the stage tucked inside this unique space really is fantastic, with the lights shining through a thick layer of dry ice, made for such dramatic visuals it was actually very nearly besotting.

   The performance that Songhoy Blues then proceeded to play, was undeniably amazing. The audience; varied in every way absolutely loving every second were in the palm of their hand, with applauses filling the room mid song and nearing the end of every song too. Not once did a single foot stop tapping away to the extremely tight professional tunes. It felt as though I had never listened to another artists whilst in the concert as they took over all the senses completely and had my body and mind completely attached to their every note. 

    It was stunning the ferocity of each track, one after another it seemed they were a well established band at the end of their story playing nothing but ‘one hit wonders’. On the contrary however the Garba Touré Aliou Touré (lead singer) said to the audience;

   “This is an intimate gig, a family gig if you will… If you want to see us again, we will be headlining Somerset House on the 16th of July”

If this performance was only an intimate family version of their ‘headlining’ set, then we’d all be fools not to be there when they really go for it. 

   Their songs also carried messages that rung somewhat bitterly true for at least I’m sure all the British citizens in the room. Given that our wonderful Prime Minster had promised to start the proceedings for leaving the EU (a.k.a Brexit) it is known that this will hold complications for everyone travelling to and from the UK. So when the band made the shocking statement the the gentleman playing bass for them had only practiced a total of two hours with the band as he is not the original bass player. The reason being that their bassist had found himself refused entree into the UK, it seemed a shared sigh and a communal ‘shaking of the head’ swept the audience. I found myself wondering how many other wonderful musicians we are going to be deprived off in the future. The band expressed their feelings about this happening, and told us how it is not something new to them. They spoke of the many injustices caused by their ethnicity and skin color and then introduced a song they had written about it. The song was entitled ‘One Color’ which received a roaring applause, as one of the more well known tracks from the band, it was amazing to be apart of the story telling behind the writing. 

  “Our Ethnicity, Our skin color, Our origin - It doesn’t matter. Music is mutual, Music is different, Music is everyday” - inspiring words from Songhoy that certainly helped to build a feeling of solidarity among the audience. 

   I could have been at this Songhoy Blues concert with my best friends, having a crazy time or with my Godfather or with family, with anyone basically. I believe that their feel-good, afro funk vibes would have encapsulated any member of any audience. I came away from the gig, smiling ear to ear, a newly dedicated fan to the band; eager to get home and buy all their albums. 

   If you get the chance to see them live, it seems to me an absolute must, as their energy and happiness is highly infectious.

Tinariwen

View fullsize

9.3.17

Electric Brixton

I had been lucky enough to see Tinariwen last year at Islington Assembly Hall, and have ever since known I would see them at every possible opportunity. All Tinariwens albums seemed to have captured the ears of nearly the whole world (be it 22 years after the original formation of the band), taking huge critical acclaim, the last two albums have been listed in Songlines Magazines top albums of 2016 AND 2017 (so far), as well as their ‘Top 25 Mali Albums’. It is no surprise that both the bands dates in London sold out way before the actual concerts. Last year Tinariwen played 42 gigs over the space of nine months, and have come back this year with an immense tour of 48 gigs strong, in the space of just three months. It certainly seems that this was the hot ticket in town to have. 

   I arrived at the fabulous Electric Brixton half way through the opening act ‘Dengue Fever’ who were serving up delightful, danceable tracks reminding me some what of psychedelic folk music. Although they were a great act, they finished their set with very little drama, and made way for the main performance. I just managed to get a good standing space before the crowd thickened to the point of that ‘sardine’ like audience we all know too well. The lights set on the stage were actually rather beautiful, with light yellows, oranges and reds, combined with blue hues, the scene was set for a Saharan adventure. 

   I had done a little reading on Tinariwen before this concert in order to understand further their backgrounds and origins, normally I wouldn’t go in to such depth with the background of a band, however once I had opened pandoras box, it seemed prudent to re-tell at least the highlights of the colourful background that seems so ‘worlds away’ and alien to ironically the majority of Tinariwens listeners. So forgive me, but I shall now indulge into a little background of the band in order to better understand the importance of their performance.

   Known by many as the ‘godfathers’ of ‘Sub-saharan Blues’, the members hail from the Sahara Desert in Northern Mali, however have all lived in various other places, due to being repeatedly displaced. They are known as the ‘rock’n’roll rebels’ or ‘the true rebels’ having been forced to live in exile and live life as a refugees. The members of Tinariwen are all Tuareg people. The Tuareg people live primarily in the Saharan desert stretching over all North Africa, they are also from a Berber community. The backgrounds to these musicians, unfortunately see’s atrocious acts of war and violence. 

  The leader of the band Ibrahim Ag Alhabib formed Tinariwen back in 1979, and has since come so far with the music that most familiarises ‘Desert-Blues’ to western ears. Ag Alhabib is said to have made his first guitar from merely a tin can, a stick and a bicycle brake wire; as all good rock’n’roll blues tales do.  Ag Alhabib then met Alhassane Ag Touhami and brothers Inteyeden Ag Ablil and Liya Ag Ablil in the late 1970’s. They together explored ‘protest’ musics and ‘rebel’ musics against uprisings, they were here known as ‘The Desert Boys’ or ‘Kel Tinariwen’. From there, they then completed the line-up, by meeting Keddou Ag Ossade, Mohammed Ag Itlale, Sweiloum, Abouhadid, and Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni at a nine-month army training enlistment.

   Tinariwen then built a makeshift studio, and vowed to record music for free, to anyone who could supply them with blank cassette tapes. For the next twenty years, the resulting tapes were traded widely throughout the Sahara region, using the trading routes that the Bermer Tuareg people have been using for centuries. They since have been recording tracks that bring to light the issues and the political injustices brought to the Tuareg people, thus making them ‘rebel musicians’ in the eyes of the oppressor. Furthermore, in 1990, the Tuareg people rose up in revolt against the Malian government, and consequently members of Tinariwen were enlisted and fought as rebels against the oppressive regime. 

   Sadly the story doesn’t lighten from there, although adorning global success, after their fifth album ‘Tassili’ won Best World Music Album at the Grammy Awards in 2012, the band were displaced once again from their home region of Northern Mali, and furthermore, their guitarist Abdallah ag Lamida was actually abducted by Islamist militants. The extremities that this band have had to fight constantly against in order to continue playing their music is in a very real sense dangerous for them. It is for this reason, among others, that their music can be described as a ‘revolutionary language’. 

    This discomfort is so far fetched to the western listener, whilst Tinariwen have been playing their version of the guitar led ‘Assouf’ music of their people, their songs that have been endangering their lives in order to raise awareness of inhuman treatments. Unable to understand the lyrics, for many of us, Tinariwen is simply an introduction to desert blues music, but beneath is so very much more.

   This is why, as I stood there waiting for Tinariwen to join the stage, I became overwhelmed with a grateful feeling, that I get to see these physical and political warriors perform their brave, innovative music live, in the flesh.  

   Not only have their albums brought an entire genre of music into the lime-light, they have been received with such popularity, it’s as though they have created a whole new sound that we can just not get enough off. 

As they took to the stage, they opened with a mellow, tone-setting tune, after which joining and completing the line-up, came Ibrahim Ag Alhabib. A raucous applause swept through the venue, a far longer applause than average, and continued into their set. They from there played nearly (as far as I could tell) all the songs from their latest two albums, keeping the tone and energy flowing from song to song. 

    Visually the band looked amazing, in their traditional cloths of the Tuareg people, with the lights reflecting that desert aesthetic, one could almost feel transported to the funky mellow vibes of the desert. Each member of the band had a chance to show off their individual skills, each taking a turn to lead guitar and vocals. The overall sound I found also had been mixed to a quieter level than usual for such a venue. I wondered if this was a thoughtful move from the band; as the result was a smoothing wave of constant music. 

   They seamlessly played for two hours working each track perfectly with one another, keeping an absolute consistent groove throughout. Their energy was infectious, consequently an accompanying rhythmic ‘clap’ could be heard from the audience for near on the whole gig. Also I noticed many people attempting to dance as the Tinariwen members dances. For a thicker description on the dancing, I would suggest watching some live footage of the band, perhaps from their appearance at ‘Womad’ Festival (2015). 

    Overall, the energy, the visuals and most importantly the deep, crisp perfected sound of their music made for an unforgettable performance. I left the venue feeling humbled, and ecstatic at the evening I felt honoured to have been apart off. 

    All Tinariwen music can be found on all platforms, and remaining tour dates can be found on their website. Don’t hesitate to snap a ticket up if you get the chance!