Fresh off the release of their second studio album, Tuareg band, IMARHAN bring their Saharan traditional folk and Algerian rai music to District in Liverpool this September.
Imarhan released their self-titled debut album in 2016, when their tender, soulful, intense vision of a genre that was already flooded with talent and exposure still managed to float to the top and be heralded as a pivotal record of the “New Wave Of Tuareg Music”. The band then released their highly anticipated second album “Temet“ earlier this year continuing to influence those from the Sahara and beyond.
The group’s members all grew up near each other in Tamanrasset, Southern Algeria, in a Tuareg community of Northern Malian descent, with their name meaning ‘the ones I care about’ in the language of the Kel Tamashek people. The giant divide between their spiritual home and physical home is heard in their music: the funkier groove of Western Africa, the emptier, subtle tones of Saharan traditional folk music and the fire and romance of Algerian rai music.
This Liverpool show, presented by Harvest Sun and Africa Oyé, promises to be an eclectic and soulful evening of music, taking the audience on a journey from dancefloor killers to sparse, somber blues. Comparisons to Africa Oyé alumni Tinariwen, who gave an electrifying performance at the Invisible Wind Factory last year, has earned them the nickname, ‘Tinariwen’s little brothers’, guiding their evolution to becoming one of the most exciting modern Tuareg bands.
Tickets are available now via Skiddle.
Edited by Maryanna Rice.