Category: MUSIC (2022)

Writer Harry Croxford / Photographer Rob Hadley – Indie Images

Presented by the folks over at This is Tmrw and Hare and Hounds on Friday, Mdou Moctar are electric in their rapturous repurposing of tracks from their most recent release Afrique Victime and previous releases.

Mdou Moctar has become one of the most recognisable Tishoumaren rock artists to circulate his music over recent years. Incorporating the blues-twinged, scales-driven, sound, Moctar and his band are intoxicating and have carved out a unique place in a scene populated by many talented artists.

Moctar and his band take the Tishoumaren sound – which dovetailed blues, rock, and, more notably with Moctar, psychedelic rock – and form a raucous space where a masterful technical frenzy electrifies the crowd.

The band emerges, ascending the stage in calm preparation. Dressed in traditional Tuareg garb – silken and richly saturated in colour – the band has established this as routine visual practice, connecting heritage and identity with their music of today. Slick, the band loads up their gear.

Ahmoudou Madassane, rhythm guitarist, gently taps and twangs his guitar. Michael Coltun’s bass begins chugging with an intense groove. Souleymane Ibrahim’s drums spark alight.

The sound of Moctar’s guitar is sharp, clean, the assortment of pedals a marker of how the band’s sound has evolved over the years. The palpable pleasure and energy visible on the faces of each member of the band is infectious, evidenced by the waves of whoops and claps from the audience.

Sustained throughout is a compelling contrast: the band’s technical prowess demands attention and an almost buzzing stillness from the players, even as Moctar’s fingers glide frantically up and down the fretboard.

Yet this contrast gives way to a vivid excitement: Moctar stands, riffs, but as he plays energy seeps into his movements. He kicks, twists, and laughs as he moves from bandmate to bandmate – the chemistry and delight is effervescent.

Despite the clarity and superb quality of the guitar, the mixing does cause Moctar’s and Madassane’s vocals to be drowned out beneath the dexterous riffs and pounding hail-fire of drums. But the rawness and overdriven sound, combined with their dedication to this whirling, twisting, cacophony keeps the crowd engrossed.

As the set continues, undergirding the rhythmic swells is Ibrahim’s superb drumming. ‘Afrique Victime’ is one such track where Ibrahim stands out most. His frenetic drumming rapidly increases in frequency and intensity, providing the track with a pounding pulse.

And for anyone who has listened to Mdou Moctar before, Tarhatazed… well you already know. The riff epitomises Moctar’s playing and has become a fan favourite. Here, it is no different. As the set began winding up, this track received a rapturous reception.

And the close, where crescendo and climax leaves the crowd ecstatic, and calling for encore. But, composed, relaxed, the band saunters off through the crowd leaving us to revel and reflect.

For more on Mdou Moctar visit www.mdoumoctar.com

To listen to Mdou Moctar on Spotify click here, or to purchase the deluxe edition of Afrique Victim click here.

Writer Emily Doyle / Photography Taylor Wright

Last month Rosie Tee headlined the Hare & Hounds International Women’s Day Celebration, with Support from Echo Juliet, Lara Jones and Japes. Rosie Tee, is in fact an international woman herself – her single ‘Anchors’ was written while living alone in Rotterdam. The track’s tinged with homesickness and longing, but that doesn’t make it any less of an avante-pop banger.

On record Rosie Tee is pensive, but live she’s all sequins and smiles. Her band, made up of Dan Cippico on bass, Kai Charenusy on drums and Piera Onacko are bathed in green light and above them hangs a web of silver tinsel. If you’ve been to a Rosie Tee show before you’ll know they always like to dress the stage with care.

The assemblage of keyboard stands that holds up the various synths and singular glockenspiel is wrapped in silver stretch fabric. Tee explains that this was once the “sea monster” from the ‘Anchors’ music video and that it’s survived a thorough soaking off the South Wales coast.

She’s not kidding. Watch the video for ‘Anchors’ by Rosie Tee below:

The sea is a common lyrical theme for Tee, a self-confessed “landlocked Brummie”. At the Hare & Hounds, the room is awash with her imagist lyrics, taking the attentive crowd from rainforests to windswept shores with the help of some field recordings and a robust, jazzy backbone.

Onacko brings the darkness from behind her monolith of synthesizers. It’s woozy and a little too warm as the crowd sway along to the crystalline rhythms of ‘Emerald’.

After the show I caught Tee and pushed her for a soundbite to go in this article. She tells me she’s not sure what to say, then pauses, and smiles coyly.

“Maybe there’s a remix EP in the pipeline full of remixes from some incredible female artists…”

Happy Belated International Women’s Day, indeed.

For more on Rosie Tee visit www.rosietee.uk

Writer Tabitha Green / Photographer Ewan Williamson

Following Tokyo noise rock duo Melt-Banana’s first Peel Session in late 1999, John Peel described the performance as “Just mesmerising, absolutely astonishing.” As I witness the pair in action at a packed Hare and Hounds, I am inclined to agree with Peel’s sentiment.

Yasuko Onuki and Ichirou Agata take to the stage flanked by Nintendo-esque gaming sound effects (fitting, as the colourful remote Onuki clutches rather resembles a 90s console), the air in the room zaps with anticipation. Mesmerised I certainly am, as is the rest of the crowd.

The start of the set is sudden – I am blasted by a wall of noise courtesy of Agata’s ferocious guitar playing. He has multiple pedalboards and amplifiers which he utilises skillfully, creating transcendental sounds the likes of which I have not heard before. Onuki soon joins in with yelping, high-pitched vocals and sweeping arm movements that make her captivating to watch.

Motion is crucial to the performance – Onuki’s remote, which she uses to drive the rhythm, seems to respond to her flailing arms with sweeping sounds that aren’t at all out of place above the purposeful but still somehow erratic drum beats. As the night progresses, I am struck by how the energy Melt-Banana brought to the start of their set doesn’t dwindle at all.

The music has such pace that it feels as if I’m lagging behind at times. I wonder if any members of the frenzied mosh pit find themselves experiencing whiplash.

Said mosh pit is a highlight of the night – I cannot help but smile as I watch two grinning punks join hands and spin with a speed that rivals Agata’s shredding. The pair runs into some technical difficulties about halfway through the set, but they are quickly resolved and have little impact on the performance as a whole.

“We haven’t played in a while so we forgot many things”, Onuki laughs charmingly. The duo then proceed to play a series of their famous “short songs”, which are hilarious with their abrupt cut-offs and solemn introductions. The short songs end with “Dog Song”, which fully amuses me as Onuki frantically yaps away.

Melt-Banana’s return to Hare and Hounds is a joyous and memorable occasion. I thoroughly recommend catching them next time they’re in town.

If you want, you can listen to Melt-Banana on Spotify here. For more information on live shows, merch, and more, visit the band’s website at www.melt-banana.net