All Stories (RSS)
African Soul Rebels Tour 2006 - February 27th, The Barbican, London
I'm in time to catch the opening act's last ten minutes. Souad Massi and her band have the audience bouncing around in their seats, and clapping along in time like it isn't only 8 o'clock on a Monday evening. I've settled in by the time the young Algerian songstress eases into a solo acoustic number ("the first song I ever wrote"), its cleanly finger-picked minor chords bringing to mind grizzled Irish demigod Christy Moore. There's a less than successful attempt at an audience singalong, and then the band come back on, and we're jiggling about in the upholstery once again. The sound (guitar, bass, drums and percussion) is easy on the ear, clean and poppy, and the musicians are phenomenally tight. I'm told there's a strong political angle, though it's not apparent as she's not singing in English. The little punk devil inside my head is telling me that musically and visually it's all far too sweet, but it is catchy as anything. There's definitely something here for both the Rai massive and the Folk 2 Future posse."My father worked for the government as a policeman, but he left to join a rebel army." Within 45 seconds of Emmanuel Jal taking the stage, I'm aware that this is going to be not quite like anything I've heard before. This is music with a message, from a place that most of us can not imagine. However, live hip-hop in a concert setting is tricky at the best of times. Rapper Jal is performing in front of a borrowed turntablist, guitarist and backing singer (his own band are back at home in Sudan) to a definitively non-b-boy crowd, and the musicans take a little time to find their groove. The first few tunes are warmly-received but Jal is sure he can get more out of us. "You're a funny crowd, have you eaten too much dinner?... In Africa, even the frogs dance! etc. etc." These exhortations are successful (he's a charismatic feller), and the now-standing audience are rewarded with a couple of proper bouncy hip-hop party tunes, accompanied by the cast on stage demonstrating a shaky-leg dance which may well be the Next Big Thing. We've been totally won over. The couple next to your reviewer probably have keen memories of when the Twist first hit big, and here they are gettin on down wild style. Emmanuel Jal has garnered a fair amount of press attention for his life history - he was a child soldier from the age of six to eleven, and he's survived to become a top-notch entertainer. That in itself is remarkable, indeed hard to comprehend, but it's his undoubted talent and great charm which will carry his career forward from here. I'm looking forward to hearing more of him.
Mali is the worldwide number one hot spot and melting pot for music right now. Amadou and Mariam are undisputably Mali's hottest current export. And they are performing with complete confidence. Standout tunes from their most recent album are heavier, more hypnotic, and more hip-shaking live than the recorded versions. And each tune is heavier, more hypnotic, and more hip-shaking than the last. I'm ruminating on how Amadou's guitar playing, whilst clearly informed by the fluid melodic aesthetic that predominates in Africa from East coast to West, is also the playing of a man who's more than familiar with the work of Steve Cropper, when the band tear into a blues-soul groove of epic proportions. This particular number is punctuated by nothing other than a proper acid house breakdown. From where I'm standing, this is a band at that point in their career where they can and will try on and get away with anything. And they are really enjoying it. The soul stomp gives way to the reggae-ish vibe of Triste Realite, another great track on record, again transformed into something yet more joyous on stage. Roars for an encore are met with another raising of the gears, and for a little while we are raving, Mali-style. And it's still only about half past ten.
They really are that good. They ask for "Peace and Love, Unity and Solidarity". I'll drink to that.
Johnny Clash
Amadou & Mariam at iTunes
www.amadou-mariam.com
AMADOU AND MARIAM - SHEPHERDS BUSH EMPIRE - 27 SEPT 2005
Written: 2nd Mar, 06
Read: 2442 times
