The Tuareg band with a cult following brings its Saharan sound to a transfixed crowd at The Powerstation on Wednesday, the Auckland leg of Tinariwen’s New Zealand and Australian tour. It’s a wild, wet night in Auckland . Cold, by our standards, with that driving rain that’s particularly biting at the intersection by the New Zealand Herald office.
It’s the only thing moving at speed; traffic’s not going anywhere. Amidst all this, can music transport us somewhere else? Bracing against the weather, people are converging on Mt Eden Rd with that hope. Tinariwen are playing at The Powerstation, and both their music and that of local supporting act Leao are infused with a sense of heat.
For the headliners, it’s the dry heat of the Saharan region; for Leao, the tropical humidity of Samoa and summertime Tāmaki Makaurau. It’s warm inside too. Doors open at 8pm and things kick off promptly at 8.
30pm; punctual proceedings that demonstrate professionalism and respect for all involved, and particularly appreciated on a night like this. Leao, helmed by David Feauai-Afaese on guitar and vocals, open with a heavy bass groove and jangly surf guitar. Feauai-Afaese welcomes the crowd in Sāmoan, acknowledging the space, Tinariwen and Banished Music, and the four-piece proceed with a shimmering tide of tracks, saturating the crowd with serotonin.
Calling it Sāmoan indie-rock doesn’t quite do it justice. It is contemporary music equally steeped in history – like the string b.