Well this was a gig that nearly didn't feel like a gig but all came good in the end. I'd heard stories of how good Amadou and Mariam were live and not having seen them before leapt at the chance to see them in an intimate setting. The Malian couple were playing with The Beating Wing Orchestra, a ten piece ensemble of musicians from asylum-seeker and migrant communities in Manchester. Uh-oh. Sounds a bit worthy, a bit 'social experiment'. But as one of the band said 'we all share the language of music' and boy was he right. So the Mali blues guitar sound was joined with Kurdish strings, Brazilian percussion, Bangladeshi rap, Bosnian fiddle, Chinese operatic bel canto etc. It could have been a mess but for the most part it worked beautifully.
The gig started with two songs performed just by Amadou & Mariam before they were joined by the other musicians. Most of the set was of songs from their 90s albums (pre-Manu Chao and Damon Albarn in the producer's chair) with a couple from new album "Welcome to Mali". At the end the orchestra got to play one of their own compositions which showcased the four different vocal styles they possessed to great effect - but left Amadou and Mariam out of the party. This finale (played twice) got a great reception but for me the times when the evening worked best was when the musicians were playing off or layering around the rhythms of Amadou's extraordinary electric guitar playing. It was primal, passionate and funky all at the same time -worth the entrance money alone to hear.
And why was this 'nearly not a gig'. Well arriving in the Pavillion (basically Wagamama benches dropped into a giant upside-down ice-cream cone) it was difficult to see where the band would play. The audience then queued (politely of course) to go into a side room which was in effect a marquee. The empty space at first felt like a flat wedding reception. The crowd was also heavily populated with suits (sponsors?) which caused some hilarity watching lots of photos being taken on Blackberrys held aloft. But once the music started and the rest of the crowd warmed up, the surroundings were irrelevant. Soon the crowd were dancing along to the music and the floor bounced along just like at the Ritz. For part of such a grand event as the Manchester International Festival and in such a seemingly anonymous space, the musicians were able to transform it into a sweaty club night, into a 'proper' gig. And for one night this part of Manchester felt like a funky outpost on the Mali river delta. Welcome to Mali, indeed.WELCOME TO MALI
Amadou and Mariam
Welcome to Mali [BUY]
SENEGAL FAST FOOD
Amadou and Mariam
Dimance a Bamako [BUY]
And for more Malian music see 14 Tracks excellent selection here.
Amadou and Mariam
Dimance a Bamako [BUY]
And for more Malian music see 14 Tracks excellent selection here.
Deeply envious of both of them and not being a musician (or photographer), I realise I will have to work very hard to get such a credit. Or will I? Here are two tantalising alternative routes from 
It's only a few months since they 
The first disappointment was seeing the band had been bumped off headlining slot. WTF?! Could see we were going to get a condensed set because of this. Then as the band took to the stage, the second disappointment was realising they were without drummer Jonny Helm. He was replaced tonight by Dave Beauchamp who actually filled in remarkably well; he has a more gentle skiffle-like style which suited the quieter numbers. And this was the main and REAL disappointment of the evening: by the time The Wave Pictures came on the crowd seemed to consist of mates of the earlier bands and those hanging about for the club night followed. The band and the sparse group of folk who were there to listen to those quiet songs had to battle against a wave of chatter and laughter that was frankly out of order. If you are not there to listen to the band, sod off somewhere else so everyone else can.
So being put in such a foul mood by struggling to listen to gentle songs like "If You Leave It Alone" against the rising background noise was not the best way to enjoy this gig. The band seemed to take it in their stride with lead singer David laughing it off. They also responded by switching to faster, noisier songs. Whilst it was great to hear some of these ("I Love You Like A Madman" was excellent: powerful and passionate) it was not the gig I'd signed up. And the predictions about a short set were realised: we only got nine songs. But from those in the crowd who were there to see the band there was some top sining along to the chorus for "Strange Fruit For David".
So a promoter and an audience who appeared to treat the band with disdain = a major disappointment. Apologies on their behalf to The Wave Pictures, they deserve better. Manchester owes you.
