Nearly halfway through the year and I managed to get gig #2 in under the line, Tinariwen at the aptly named Electric Bristol last Sunday.
It was a hot day and even hotter inside, the venue looking more packed than I think I've seen it in a long while, especially given that the support act hadn't taken to the stage when I arrived.
I'm always nonplussed by the general tendency for people to skip the first act, so it was a nice surprise to see the opposite on this occasion. And Sudanese artist Sulafa Elyas was worth turning up on time for.
Sulafa's half hour set - like her voice - was a thing of great beauty, bathing the audience in cooling, soothing sounds. Stage lights reduced to a minimum, accompanied by a musician (whose name I missed) on synths and her own oud playing, there were a couple of occasions where the sound skirted a little close to muzak, though generally it was an absorbing, engaging experience.
Tinariwen came on stage around 9.00pm. I counted nine, six of which were playing guitar, often at the same time. two on percussion at the back and one who adopted a Bez-type role, that is, dancing and generally geeing up the crowd. Not that we needed any encouragement!
Not that it made any difference. I recognised barely a handful of songs from my modest collection yet none of that really mattered as much as the vibe and the music and the energy coming from the stage.
Sulafa Elyas came back on stage for the performance of Sagherat Assani from the current album and the crowd went wild.
Tinariwen were on fire, everything that 21st century rock music should be about and a burning example of the power of music to transcend distances of geography, culture and language.
Usually, the selection accompanying a gig review will be a recreation of the setlist. Notwithstanding that a third of the gig covered albums I don't own, another third appears to be made up of songs that haven't yet appeared on any Tinariwen album!
This, according to Setlist, is what Tinariwen played in Bristol:
1) Kel Tamashek
2) Alkhar Dessouf
3) Imidiwan Takyadam
4) Sot Alwakhouch
5) Nak Tenere
6) Sagherat Assani
7) Kek Aghlam
8) Amidinim Ehaf Solan
9) Tahoult
10) Toumast Tincha
11) Amassakoul
12) Aklegh Achal
13) Tahalamot
14) Assàwt
15) Nànnuflày
16) Tiwàyyen
17) Imidiwan Afrik Tendam
18) Sastanàqqàm
19) Chaghaybou
So, rather than provide a (very) truncated selection, I've instead created a bespoke 48-minute selection of a dozen songs drawn from the albums that I do own. Just one song - Wartilla - appeared in live form on my previous Tinariwen mixtape, so this time I've gone for the studio version.
There are a few famiiar guest stars too, though never to the detriment of the music. which remains rooted in the desert.
Are you happy? Answers in the comments section below, please!
1) Kel Tamashek (2009)
2) Izarharh Tenere (2007)
3) Assàwt (2017)
4) Wartilla (Album Version ft. Stephen O'Malley & Warren Ellis) (2019)
5) Kud Edazamin (2011)
6) Soixante Trois (2007)
7) Nànnuflày (ft. Mark Lanegan & Kurt Vile) (2017)
8) Tenere Taqhim Tossam (ft. Tunde Adebimpe & Kyp Malone) (2011)
9) Anina (2019)
10) Tiwàyyen (ft. Mina Wallet Oumar & Matt Sweeney) (2017)
11) Imidiwan Afrik Temdam (2009)
12) Sastanàqqàm (2017)
My previous Tinariwen selection, What Can Cool A Heart That Burns, can be found here.
And finally, a huge thanks to fellow audience member Julia Parnaby, who was on the other side of the stage. My efforts to take a picture were continually thwarted by the aforementioned giants, so I am grateful that Julia uploaded a quartet of photos to BlueSky. Thank you!
