The Lift Global Music Club

Etran Finatawa + The Hut People + Celloman

Weekend Ticket £12
Saturday night only £10 Etran Finatawa + The Hut People
Sunday afternoon only £5 Celloman (solo) + The Hut People

Etran Finatawa’s musicians come from Niger which is one of the three poorest countries in the world, it is a landlocked country in West Africa bordered by Mali, Algeria, Libya, Chad and Nigeria. Niger has a very rich cultural heritage and sits at a desert crossroads between the Berber and Arab cultures of the North and the many sub-Saharan cultures of the South. In Niger there are eleven different ethnic groups most of whom are farmers or pastoralists, both sedentary and nomadic. Amongst them are the Tuareg and Wodaabe, many of whom are still nomadic. They move with their camels, long-horned cattle, sheep, goats and donkeys seeking pastures along the Sahelian savannah at the fringes of the South Sahara.

Etran Finatawa was formed as a band at the time of the 2004 Festival in the Desert near Timbuctou. The literal meaning of their name is ‘the stars of tradition’. They are the first group to use the songs and music of the Wodaabe in a modern context. They began as a group of ten musicians who wanted to unite these two nomadic cultures as a symbol of peace and reconciliaton. The touring and recording band consists of six players three of whom are Tuareg and three, Wodaabe-Fulani. In Niger the Wodaabe and the Tuareg live side by side on the desert’s fringes sharing pastures and water sources which sometimes leads to feuding. They work together to be strong and to give their culture a future in this changing world. The music of the two tribes is very different but the way it has been combined has produced a powerful and hypnotic sound and a new musical style of Nomad Blues.

By 2005 they were touring Europe and appearing at WOMAD in 2006, after that they have travelled the wider world and are set to go the USA this year. In Niger their music has a cult following and their songs are sung by the young and school children all over the country.

The traditional Wodaabe chants are a remarkable blend of choral polyphony and high tenor solos. They wear their traditional long embroidered tunics, leather hose and turbans with ostrich feathers as they would at their annual desert festivals. They adorn their faces with yellow spots and stripes to enhance their looks, and accompany their vocal music with the traditional calabasse (gourd) drums and a slow motion type of movement verging on dance and handclapping. The Tuareg have always used a variety of string instruments, tende drums and ululations to animate their songs and dances and since the 1970s they have used the guitar. This guitar style is called Ichumar and came out of their rebellion and exile in Libya, and is part of the repertoire of Etran Finatawa. They wear long flowing garments and touareg turbans.

From the richness of these two united but distinct cultures they compose and sing their songs in two different languages, the Tuareg Tamashek and the Wodaabe Fulfulde. Their songs tell tales from nomadic life, of isolation and liberty, of extreme hardship and poverty, of a harsh climate, of beautiful women and happy days, of life giving animals and handsome beasts, of festivities and families, of stars and desert storms. Some of their songs are healing songs as they use music as a therapy in both cultures. In this interchange of modern and traditional songs, handclapping and rich percussion often lead the songs and are an invitation to dance while the solo guitar of Alhousseini Anivolla gives a special Blues groove to their music. Their melodies, rhythms and vocals create a sound picture of the grasslands of the Sahel and arid desert. The rich and heady blend of the particular vocal sound of the Wodaabe singers, Bammo Agonla and Bagui Bouga, the strong singing voice of the Touareg Alhousseini Anivolla and the polyphonic chorus of the whole band is the highly innovative, unique and rich sound and performance of Etran Finatawa.

"Wailing, twisting songs as gritty as the desert wind" 4 stars, Top Of The World, Songlines

"Two groups of desert nomads meld their music in the sparse, spellbinding songs of Etran Finatawa...mesmerizing" New York Times, USA

"Desert Crossroads finds Etran Finatawa's mojo on the rise — charming, urgent, dark and rockin' — a celebration of life and expression of the profound pain of separation and loss." LA Weekly

THE HUT PEOPLE are an accordion and percussion duo. The accordionist is Sam Pirt who plays with 422 who won the Radio 2 folk awards a few years back. Sam is a very experienced musician who is well established in the folk world. Sam has performed alongside Kathryn Tickell, The Dubliners, Sharon Shannon, Jez Lowe, Brian Finnegan, Brian McNeill and many others in the folk scene. He is also the founder of Ethno England.

Gary Hammond is the percussionist, who for the past 12 years has recorded and toured with The Beautiful South. He has worked with Nina Simone, Homespun, and many other groups and set ups within the world music and jazz/pop world. He has also worked on many television shows inc.Ab Fab, Monarch of the Glen and loads of others.

They both have a love of scandinavian, english and european folk tunes which are played with an accordion/multi percussion twist.

Gary Hammond from The Hut People will also be running a percussion workshop on the Saturday afternoon - this will be free of charge but places are limited so please get in touch to book a place (all ages/abilities)

This workshop is being supported by Glossopdale Community College.

This is a special solo performance by Ivan Hussey requested by us after Aprils sell out concert. Spine tingling and beautiful cello playing this is perfect for a chilled out Sunday afternoon.

This intimate gig will showcase the cello in new ways with freshly written compositions that will soothe, excite and move you.

‘… but the star is Hussey's Cello, proof that the instrument can be surprising, sensuous and funky - all at the same time.’ – The Observer

Weekend Ticket £12
Saturday night only £10 Etran Finatawa + The Hut People
Sunday afternoon only £5 Celloman (solo) + The Hut People

Thanks to all our sponsors and supporters who have helped us to make the Lift Weekend Special happen.

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