Review: Tinariwen plus Support at Perth Concert Hall

May 23 2008 by Alison Anderson

IT was an evening of music which promised ‘roots/rock rebellion and poetry from the Sahara desert’ but which ultimately fell as flat as a camel’s pancake.

Certainly there was much to praise in the opening support for the latest in the innovative series of ‘Home and Away’ concerts at Horsecross.

Justin Adams holds fame as Robert Plant’s guitarist, yet as frontman for his colourful trio of fine musicians, he proved entertaining as well as musically superb.

One-stringed fiddle player from Gambia, Juldeh Carmara, and percussionist extraordinaire Salah Dawson Miller joined Justin for an enjoyable set of delta blues and North African fusion, which all too soon played its final note to the promise of a great night.

Unfortunately that was not to be. The second support, Scottish folkie renegades Shooglenifty, failed to set the good-size concert hall audience alight. Fiddler Angus R Grant told the crowd there was “nae chat cos nae time” – so the subdued Shoogs raced through their sexed up Celtic rock without that sense of fun which has earned them such an lively following.

Headliners Tinariwen have impressive credentials, including a BBC Award for World Music, high profile fans and the respect of their own people.

But certainly not the respect of this reviewer! The eight-piece guitar-based combo were over-amped, drowning out much of the singing, and became firmly entrenched in a one-rhythm groove which, while catching the ear for the first few numbers, soon became a monotony. Many in the audience left early.

So much more could have been made of the stage presentation, including the footage projected on to the big screen.

What could have been a powerful and moving audio and visual experience failed to register on the Richter scale.

To be fair, the Tinariwen sound did appeal to a large proportion of the audience who gave the band a rapturous reception and maintained their enthusiasm to the encore and beyond.