Tinariwen/Tunng 19/3/09

I had seen Tinariwen a couple of times before and also seen Tunng as support on one occasion. For this gig there was a hybrid band featuring three members from Tinariwen and the whole of the current Tunng. The Tinariwen trio cranked up a few numbers of their rolling desert groove on guitar and then there were a number of collaborative efforts with everyone on stage. Some of these didn't quite gel or perhaps they hadn't been rehearsed enough to gel. Towards the end of the gig it became more Tunng-centric. An enjoyable gig but not the deep desert experience of the full Tinariwen. Tunng I actually enjoyed a lot more than when I had previously seen them. They did one beautifully melodic track that got my instant approval. I tried to track it down afterwards but failed. An interesting experiment to blend the Bedouin groove with the cool English folk but perhaps needed a bit more prep.