Amadou & Mariam are led onstage for the sold-out show at the pop-up Pavilion Theatre at the Manchester International Festival.
Dressed in traditional golden African robes and matching gold sunglasses, the couple beam at the crowd and you see what struck Chris Martin when he invited them to support Coldplay on their US Viva la Vida tour in August.
Fresh from main staging at Glastonbury and supporting Blur at their reunion gig the pair have won worldwide critical acclaim and their albums ‘Welcome to Mali’ and ‘Dimanche a Bamako’ have sold over 60,000 copies in the UK, an unprecedented amount for an African, French speaking act.
They have sold well over 800,000 albums worldwide, and have been performing together for over 30 years.
Amadou Bagayoko and Mariam Doumbia met at the Institute For The Young Blind in Bamako, Mali and in 1980 they married, played their first concert together and started recording.
Their music proved popular in Mali and they were propelled into the French charts in 2005 when they collaborated with Manu Chao on their album 'Dimanche a Bamaka.'
They've collected many awards on their journey, including a prestigious Les Victoires De La Musique award (the French equivalent of the Grammys) and two BBC Radio 3 World Music awards.
Amadou & Mariam attract a mixed bunch, from a swaddled baby nestling into hippy mom's chest with a set of giant headphones for protection to white bearded 80-somethings bopping the night away with their hands firmly in their pockets, grinning from ear to ear.
Mariam's voice is coarse and unrefined which adds to their raw, bluesy charm. In contrast, Amadou on guitar fuses the traditional Mali sound with rock, flipping from blues to roots, and together they create lively and reflective 'Afro-blues' for the first three numbers.
Then they are joined by the Beating Wing Orchestra, a Manchester collective made up of migrant and refugee musicians with an eclectic range of voices from Chinese operatic to Bangladeshi rap. Heart-warming and uplifting they play a colourful set that moves the crowd and has them smiling from the inside out. The heat spreads and rises in the packed tent, becoming too much for some but 'just right' for many.
My image of world music as fusty and enjoyed by Guardian-reading teachers and bike riding do-gooders was shattered that night as we witnessed a vibrant performance by a charming, talented couple in love with each other and their music.
As the drummer Pat Mackman said of the gifted musical pair: 'Amadou & Mariam music is a tree with its roots in Africa and its leaves spread all over the world.'
Their latest single ‘Masiteladi’ was remixed by BBC Radio 1 DJ Rob da Bank. Damon Albarn and Somalian rapper K'Naan guest star on their new album Welcome To Mali.
They headline at this year’s iTunes Festival on 28th July at Camden’s Roundhouse. The iTunes festival features Oasis, Franz Ferdinand, Kasabian and Bat for Lashes.
Tickets to all iTunes Festival shows are free. For a chance to win a pair of tickets go to:
www.amadou-mariam.com/itunesfestival2009/
Amadou & Mariam also play the Big Chill Festival on 9th August.
www.amadou-mariam.com
Buy: Amadou & Mariam - Welcome To Mali
Post a comment