Live Review: Tamikrest

“We are very happy to bring you the music of the desert.” These were the words delivered in French by lead singer and guitarist, Ousmane Ag Mossa. The feelings were certainly mutual in this rare debut of music that lives up to its name.

The word Tamikrest means ‘junction’ or ‘alliance’: a perfect indication of the blending of various stylings originating in the deserts of West Africa, as well as being inspired by American artists such as “Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Wonder”. The Tamasheq language soars in this rebel music which meanders with wondrous rhythms and a combination of lofty finger picking and hammering, and primal and resonant percussion.

This was their first time down under and as such their much-anticipated Sydney Opera House debut saw the Mali blues outfit welcomed with fervent reverence in the Drama Theatre. The first four tracks were acoustic jams that conjured up the shifting sands and the quiet hours and long sunsets of the Sahara.

Then came the “move into the heavier stuff” as two members of the three-piece shifted instruments from floor percussion to conventional drum kit and acoustic to electric guitar. What ensued was less dreamy, more spectral and mind-bending as bass hooks meshed with frenetic backbeat rock beats.

The percussionist translated for the Tuareg leader: “He doesn’t understand nothing but he understands the language of music.” This speaks to the mission of this band which has been playing for more than fifteen years, sharing the poetry and sound of the Tamasheq people; bringing voice to the plight of Mali and Northern Mali in particular where terrorism and unrest have plagued the region in recent years.

Thus, their encore song was a fitting “tribute to the children of the Sahara”; as crimson and vermillion lights lit up the stage and Ag Mossa’s voice filled the space, the final meaning of the word Tamikrest - ‘the future’ - became readily clear. This is a band hoping music can unify and end suffering for the children of the desert.