A tent packed with people singing along to Iron Ites and The Gladiators, and a great party with Seeed: the rain drove a much bigger crowd to the Univers stage than expected, and especially the reggae bands got to benefit from it. Big names Burning Spear and Tiken Jah Fakoly were struggling a lot more on the main stage.
We arrived twice in the pouring rain and we fled twice into the Univers tent. On both occasions we were heated up in no time, thanks to the good reggae bands on stage. On Friday there was our very own Iron Ites, with an excellent, grateful Benoîtte, her first performance since struggling with vocal problems. Like a true Beljam African Queen, she took to the stage, slightly overwhelmed but also strengthened by the enthusiastic vibes from the (large) crowd. Backed by an exquisite band, with a massive horn section and subtle guitar play, she stepped into the footsteps of other seminal names that once graced the main stage (Burning Spear, Tiken Jah Fakoly, Alpha Blondy). We already knew 'Power Of Creation', a killer tune, but we also got to hear new hit 'True Blood, lyrically and musically completely suited to Benoîtte. We are happy she grabbed this unique opportunity, in front of the biggest possible crowd.
Later on, CC regular Tiken Jah Fakoly hit the main stage. Fortunately the rain had retreated somewhat. His voice was not up to scratch and he didn't seem as confident as usual, but his band was definitely present, a classical reggae line-up expanded with brilliant talking drums and typical kora. Tiken Jah sang a couple of songs from his new album, performed a bland cover of 'War Ina Babylon'/'Give Peace A Chance' (in the fashion of Max Romeo) and two medleys of his biggest successes. Not a very memorable performance, but the Ivorian singer did manage to make the crowd sing along to some nice statements. 'Quand l'Afrique va se réveiller, ça va faire du mal'. Tiken Jah Fakoly will always be an African warrior.
Seun Anikulapo may think of him as a wuss, though. In every way he's the son of Fela, the legendary king of afrofunk. Nigerian Seun performed a great show on the Move stage. Partly topless, with the same sweaty force as his dad and a band funky as hell. Horns that go in all sorts of directions, singers with shrill voices and wildly shaking butts. And of course, all those tunes carry a message. 'This song can stop all inequality in the world', Seun Kuti said about 'Higher Consciousness'. And for a second, we believed him.
On Friday, it was a German band that had the Univers tent shaking with enthusiasm for the first time. It's surprising how Seeed manages to create a universal pop sound based on reggae and dancehall, with heavy hints of funk, rock, house and even metal. The ten-piece combo has the air of a big band, including the suits and orchestrated movements. Not everybody's a fan of Seeed. Maybe because their style is a bit too varied (ranging from classic riddims, such as 'My Conversation' and 'Real Rock', to pumping dancehall beats, poppy songs and crossovers such as 'Harlem Shake', Justine Timberlake and MIA). The wonderful opening song 'Aufstehn' was followed by 'Wonderful Life' and 'Release', but the tent only went wild when 'Waterpumpee' kicked off. Their own songs, such as 'Dickes B', 'Seeedy Monks' and 'Ding', didn't create the same effect, but at least they did get cheers when mentioning the Red Devils or playing an adapted version of MIA's 'Paper Planes'. Also the drummer's antics were applauded. Peter Fox and his two buddies sing in English, French, Jamaican patois and, of course, German, a language hardly ever or even never heard at Couleur Café. There are just not that many German bands who've got that 'urban' swing, and that is exactly the kind of vibe this festival is looking for.
DROOP & BAGGA
On Saturday it rained even more when we arrived. Streets were flooded, drains were overflowing, we were soaking wet after a 50-meter walk. Thankfully, The Gladiators offered us comfort. Or should we say: Droop Lion and the Gladiator band, as the new singer tried to make us understand multiple times? I grew up with the big Albert Griffiths, founder of the band in 1967, and I never saw his son Al's performances on stage in the year that he replaced his father. According to many who did get to see him, his voice approached his father's closely. Droop Lion has his own sound, more closely matched to the chanting of singjays, less high and melodious than Albert's.
At times it just doesn't work as well in all those classics: 'Naturality', 'Looks Is Deceiving', 'Roots Natty', 'Bongo Red', 'Belly Full' ('It a go be bangarang!') , 'Hello Carroll', 'Stick A Bush', the ancient 'Prayer To Thee' ina nyabinghi style, and to my delight 'Jah Works', in my levity one of the three most beautiful reggae songs ever made. Fortunately, the band is still headed by Earl 'Bagga' Walker, once bass player extraordinaire in Lee Perry's Black Ark, but he's been a part of the Gladiators for about 20 years now. And that is how a classic roots reggae bass is supposed to sound: dominant, yet subtle, steering the rhythm, but melodious as well. No band was any better in the first two days of Couleur Café. There were better singers, yes, even though Droop Lion managed to win us over in two new songs, which were more of a fit to his raw voice. Curious to see if this flamboyant rasta will be fully integrated into The Gladiators or if he's in it on his own behalf.
More classics could be heard on the main stage, where Burning Spear performed his only European gig. Apart from CC, he's only to appear at a jazz festival in Montreal, Canada, this year. 'Swellheaded', 'Pick Up The Pieces', 'Jah No Dead', 'Jah Is My Driver', 'Man In The Hills', 'Marcus Garvey', 'Slavery Days'. Spear has been taking inspiration from that same small stack of foundation tunes, this time expanding it with 'Jah Is Real', 'Holy Foundation' and an entirely new song, 'Cure For Cancer', about parents who lose their children to cancer. Feels a bit sour to dance to if you listen to the lyrics. We would've loved to reflect some more vibes from the Raggaravane, but that was so far-off and without rain shelter in a corner of Tour & Taxis that we only stuck around for a while. The rain can't be a blessing for everyone. A report of Sunday's reggae activities is to follow. Translation: Sofie Heggerick
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