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“Tuareg rock revolutionaries Tinariwen are arguably rock’n’roll’s first ever rebels with a cause. Formed in training camps for Colonel Gaddafi’s desert regiment in the mid-80s, Tinariwen began writing true protest songs about the plight of the Tuareg people. The force of their live performance was a phenomenon that saw their stock rapidly rise, leading to ecstatically received performances at festivals like WOMAD and Roskilde in the late 90s…

…Live In Paris 2014 is a superb introduction for the uninitiated, as well as a welcome souvenir for the experienced. Warm, potent, invigorating and liberating – it’s difficult to imagine a better live band existing this side of the Sahara.” – Record Collector Mag

“The most stunning element of Live In Paris, however, is that the French audience’s participation is not just audible, but impassioned. Cheering begins as soon as instrumental intros become recognizable and “woo’s” punctuate songs during peaks (especially during “Tinde Part 1” featuring septuagenarian tindé musician Lalla Badi who guested during the entire show) and post-solos. The band rarely offers more than an occasional “merci beaucoup” to its crowd. But what’s most remarkable is that those squeals of joyous excitement from French-speaking audience members are directed to a band whose words they don’t even understand.

So in the wake of the recent terror events in Paris, it seems wrong not to acknowledge the connection between Tinariwen playing The City of Light and the collaborative, communal spirit it elicited. In fact, Tinariwen performed at Le Bataclan (where 89 people died in a terror attack on Friday, November 13) back in 2007. Of course, Live In Paris could have in no way predicted those recent attacks, nor have been released at this time solely to capitalize on media attention. No, Live In Paris simply encapsulates an evening of profound music shared between people of differing cultures. And maybe, just maybe, listening to records like Live In Paris and recognizing the context in which these songs were written and this show was recorded, we can learn to be a little more inclusive and understanding of those around us.” – Paste Magazine

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