Review
Publication date : Monday, March 28th 2011 - 25 231 views
Danakil: a big concert among friends
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A successful gamble for Danakil: after filling the Olympia in 2009, France's most prominent band launched a successful assault on the Zénith de Paris, joined by its many guests.
 It is in front of an already well-filled hall that Rootz Underground opens hostilities. The two bands know each other well, having shared the road on their previous tour. One of the rare musical outfits active in Jamaica, they roll on without faltering. Thanks to their many concerts, the songs are mastered and the show well honed. The audience is receptive and lets itself be guided by Steve Newland's shamanic dance.
It is 8.30pm when Danakil take the stage, and the band kicks off the show with L'Avenir from the latest album, then follows with the inevitable Quitter Paname. That is just what the crowd that has turned out in numbers at the Zénith (with, for some, their parents in tow) came for: a musical journey out of the Parisian gloom, towards the steamy heat of Kingston and the hills of Bamako.
 The first part of the show relies essentially on tracks from the latest album, "Echos du Temps". Broussai open the guest list and perform Le cours de l'histoire, from their latest album. They are quickly joined by Winston McAnuff, who launches into Media. His verse and chorus done, Electric Dread makes way for his son Matthew McAnuff, to the delight of the audience, which makes itself heard. And there will be plenty more surprises.
Papa Style comes on stage and delivers a fast style that sends the crowd wild. On a medley of tracks from the 2nd album, "Dialogue de sourd", singer Natty Jean, who has joined the band, brings his energy and freshness. We will also discover him solo, before an acoustic break with La Route des songes, written in the hills of Bamako.
 Another surprise awaits the audience, and what a surprise! None other than Daddy Nuttea, who comes to perform Trop peu de temps, bridging two generations. Despite the youth of the audience and his low profile on the French-language scene in recent years, Nuttea is given a triumphant welcome. Danakil still have musical bullets left in the chamber, as Brahim joins them on stage next, before Balik launches into Regards croisés. Time is ticking by, and Danakil leave the stage.
They will of course return for an encore, with the flagship track from their second album, Marley, called for by the audience since the start of the show. Balik can hold out his mic; the words are well known and sung back powerfully, filling the Zénith. The show ends with Héritier du sort and then Je ne regrette rien, their cover of the Edith Piaf standard, which sounds the end of a fine night and leaves the audience fulfilled. Everyone will go home with the album under their arm. Mission accomplished.
Report written by Franck Blanquin
Tags : Nuttea (36), Brahim (27), Danakil (94), Broussaï (56), Natty Jean (14)
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