Speed Caravan, Dingwalls, London - October 7th
We had heard that this band were a top-notch live outfit that rocked the kasbah on a regular basis and tonight was their Kalashnik Love album launch. So we hot-footed it down to a rain-drenched Camden and readied ourselves to be mesmorised by the lure of north African promise. Speed Caravan are a Paris-based five-piece who blend a mix of traditional north African influences with their western couterparts - rock, electronic/dance, hip-hop and whatever takes their fancy. Chief protagonist is Mehdi Haddab, a virtuoso of the classical oud, a fretless Arabic lute. His oud was amplified and appeared to be fed through many gadgets tonight. He wasn’t shy and seemed well versed with the western world’s love affair of six-string gods as he did his best impression of a tortured guitar hero at every opportunity - we kid you not…
The band opened with a short instrumental that set the tone for the night - intricate melodies played in unison by the oud and bassist, Pascal Teillet, that mesh ever so tightly. It all wore a little thin though after four vocal-less numbers. The musicianship on show was unquestionable, but what was questionable was the lack of verbal communication on show - song’s weren’t introduced and audience participation was minimal. Up front, stage-right a harem of girls dressed as belly dancers swayed this way and that apparently hypnotized by the trance-like rhythms. Vocals of any kind were at a premium throughout the night and when they arrived, they came courtesy of percussionist Simo, who kept it real with some wailing of the mid-eastern variety - unfortunately, he wasn’t all that tuneful. The lone female of the band, Hermione Frank was stationed on the laptop and to our ears supplied most, if not all of the beats. So what’s the role of the drummer, Rocky - what does he bring to the mix? Well, he plays snare, kick, hi-hat and maybe even toms - he also gets in on the vocal duties from time to time. At the midpoint of the set there was a percussion solo that also suffered badly from that dreaded reverb that was liberally splashed all over the stage, turning his deft touches into a distant patter.
Sound issues apart the band have potential and their recorded sound is markedly superior to tonight’s gig. Speed Caravan definitely have something that will be popular among world music lovers and with a bit of tweaking could possibly appeal to a wider audience. They have the chops as musicians, are exotic and in Haddad, they also possess an axe-wielding genius. A proper vocalist might be a worthwhile addition if they are to reach their hyped potential away from the world music festivals such as Womad and land up at Glastonbury.
Speed Caravan’s new album Kalashnik Love is out now on Real World Records.
(Andrew John)
