17 Jun Meltdown 2009 – Baaba Maal
Caught the mighty Baaba Maal at the South Bank Meltdown festival on Monday night. He put on a cracking show with an ensemble of 4 percussionists, keys, 3 guitarists, 1 bassist and 4 piece brass. Mighty sound. But the biggest sound of all was his voice. Such a sharp shrill roar from a thin frame. Most of his set was upbeat crowd-pleasing fare but the highlight for me was the opening track with just Baaba and an accompanying guitarist. Haunting, sorrowful and triumphant. Then again, maybe I’m just too moody for the party songs. 2 more gigs to go this weekend, can’t wait. Photo courtesy of Ian Duffy’s Flickr.