Concert: Asian Dub Foundation play Munich

Like what I said in the Title and Description.

ja ...Tuesday 26 April 2005 ..Muffathalle .. ...always been meaning to see them but never got round to it. they've played here a few times in the past like...

OH! Kewl bananas...

I'm there

I have heard them before. They are actually pretty decent. I will definitely be there to catch it again.

xargon

I was there in the MH the last time they played... great music! Definitely recommended

Any other TT'ers going on Tuesday?

Hi all,

I'm new to this forum, but I'll save introductions for a more relevant thread...

I just saw a poster for this show, and I must admit that I haven't hear the music before, although I know the group by name and reputation, maybe. I'm going to check out their music today-tomorrow and see if it's my cup of arak (nothing to do with tea, judging from the few samples they have on their site )

I'm considering going, and as far as I know myself whenever I consider something fun to do, I'm always too weak to resist...

YOU'VE GOT TO BE AWARE, YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE THE JUNGLE EYE!

http://www.danerd.com/videoconferencing.php?vid=338

Anyone wants to meet up for a few pre concert drinks?

Xargy

I'll get back to you. I have to work out when I can get there, and have another mate to meet.

No worries. Lookin forward to it

A few of us will be meeting in Outland at 7pm if anyone is interested. Should be pretty decent. Have seen them half a dozen times in England and they were always very lively.

anyone know if tickets available on the door?

I think it's a good pissabolity Brummie - Muffathalle is quite big.

I just bought mine yesterday and there were heaps left, it's gonna be one of the best 22.85 Euros I have spent.

OK, all sorted.

I will arrive at the Muff Hat Hall around 8 and wait in the foyer/entrance for a mate who is expected at 8:30.

I will not be wearing the pink carnation. If you see a geezer in a black leather jacket, a grey hairy fleece and sporting a made-for-cunnilingus beard, that might be me

Or it might not.

Depends who's asking. Innit?

all right guys. Hopefully catch you all tonite. I should be there by 9 pm myself.

Cheers!
xargy

Back home, deaf as a post and all moshed out. Great fun.

I'll let you know tomorrow (if I wake up).

Those of us who couldn't make it due to the machinations of evil capitalism and inept consultants (including myself) live in hope of a truly sinesque review of the concert.

Und?

Was it any good?

Ouch! Ow! Ouch!

OK, who beat me up last night? I don't think I have bounced around like that since Iggy Pop in Herford '98. Great fun.

Funny enough, it was my first time at the Muffathalle for a gig. I'd been there before during daylight hours when it was empty, and it seems fairly big, but when you have an audience of 800-1000 (my quick section count last night), it kind of seems bigger. What I did like was the front-of-house bar. Very civilised.

So, what were they like, Asian Dub Foundation? Well, when I got into the hall, the Jock was spinning discs from his 'control centre' in the middle of the stage. Some of the sounds were OK, but it did drop from time to time into quite dull and monotonous drum&bass. The Jock was also part of the band, so when they came on there was something seamless in the transition.

ADF are a big band: The Jock, bass, guitar, ethnic percussion (if that is how one would describe a guy playing Asian drums/bongos/Etc), and three lead singers, all on radio mics, so they can bounce around like demons and pop up anywhere at anytime. In fact the dynamics of the band, and especially the singers, adds to the 'get up and dance' feel in the audience. I noticed that Dr Das uses the same bass amp as me (Ampeg SVT-II), so he was immediately in my good books, and I got close enough to see his settings (which I'm gonna try out next JFS practise tomorrow). For those who don't know what ADF sound like, my best description is that they have an electronic 'MIDI' back beat representing a drummer (I would prefer a human drummer personally), with quite strange guitar licks, great dub-reggae bass, piercing Asian percussion (this was excellent), one Rasta vocalist, and two 'hip-hop' delivery vocalists. An interesting combination with a very heavy political message.

The audience last night were very good. They certainly helped the overall show. Whilst the place was fairly packed, there was always elbow room available (not like the Juliette & The Licks gig, which was a squeeze). The band took a few songs to get into their stride. I got the impression that they were feeling the way the audience would go... almost like they expected a Munich crowd to be regimented and requiring commands to dance (Eins-zwei-drei-boogie!). However, when they got to 'Enemy of The Enemy' and positively encouraged the audience to come forwards, the whole thing kicked into a massive swing. I moved forwards. In fact so far forwards I kept getting moshed into the stage. I pogo'd, I strutted and I skanked. I sung along and got down. The lowest I got down was when the stage diving started. Some people didn't see the 'incoming' bodies, and at times the crunch of bad landings looked positively painful. At first the two 'board-bouncers' tried to apprehend the first couple of divers, but then they gave up, and I could see them indicating points for style to each other. The band were definitely not expecting the diving, and it took them a while to shrug and agree to "Oh! well".

I estimate that Asian Dub Foundation played for 1hr45 including the encore. No support band (apart from the Jock). Towards the end, pogoing to 'We Want Your Oil' with an assisting hand on the stage (I'm getting too old for this), I could twist and look back into the hall. As far back as I could see, the audience was really into this gig. Ending on 'Fortress Europe' was the climax to a very energetic evening. They didn't play a lot of stuff I would have liked to hear, but I guess you have to draw the line somewhere, and besides, how could they perform '1000 Mirrors' without Sinead O'Connor?

What was good was the way the evening ended. Back out in the bar, the DJ was playing ADF. The fairly large crowd that had stayed for a drink or two after (including Wibble & Co.) were continuing to groove into the night. But being school again in the morning, I had to split al la Cinderella... and I feel like a pumpkin now.

I gather they are a bit like Transglobal Underground who played Munich recently. They (TGU) sing often with Natacha Atlas, an Egyptian singer.