As lead guitarist of the pioneering Radiohead, one of contemporary cinema’s most masterful film composers and an avid dub and reggae collector (check out his …is the Controller compilation), Johnny Greenwood’s career has been characterised by a childlike restlessness to pursue a range of musical styles and influences.
Yet, when Junjun dropped out of nowhere earlier this year – an album recorded with the Rajasthan Express and Shye Ben Tzur – it still felt like a bold and surprising move for the guitarist. A powerful coming together of Western and Eastern musical traditions, the album has only added to Greenwood’s catalogue. As part of Convergence festival, I attended the Barbican to see if the mystical energy of Junjun could be translated in concert.
Despite Greenwood being the big audience draw here, Junjun songs have been credited to the masters of classical Indian musical traditions, Rajastan Express and Tzur, with Greenwood taking a backseat, adding electronic and guitar flourishes to the recordings. This was reflected in the arrangement of the performers as they walked on stage, as Greenwood with his hair covering his face, lurked in the background messing with electronic keys, whilst Tzur took centre stage surrounded by the dozen or so musicians and singers that made Rajastan Express.
If Greenwood was the enigmatic outsider orchestrating proceeding from the shadows, Tzur was the night’s charismatic force. A commanding presence whose rich vocals helped anchor and direct the performance. Yet with constant smiles on their faces and a loose, yet controlled almost telepathic musicianship with one another, it was the Raj Express who drew the biggest cheers throughout. As the ensemble launched into ‘Modeh’, I was reminded how live music at its best could be truly transportive as the intoxicating brew of meditative harps, triumphant horns and spiritual sitars, took me to a slower, simpler and calmer times.
Despite this the show wasn’t without its faults. Whilse beautiful, a collection of meandering and slow meditative numbers left the audience restless at times. Yet this was soon remedied by an encore as electrifying as I’ve ever witnessed. Out of nowhere, Tzur urged the audience to “dance to the God’s” as the rough analogue beat of ‘Roked’ came into focus providing a new dynamism to the performance. If impelled by a higher force, the previously timid audience slowly got to their feet and became entranced by the striking fusion of Arabic chants and western electronics. It was a triumphant end to an enchanting night of music, one which I will unlikely ever hear again.
