Gig Review: Tamino

After a two-year break, Tamino’s return could not have come at a better time for me. His music is quiet, contemplative, and beautiful. Cosy. It doesn’t loudly grab your attention but lingers in the mind long after you’ve heard it. His first album, Amir, is perfect to listen to when walking alone, at any time after dark, and after collapsing on your bed from a long day at work. Released in 2022, his second album Sahar is more for the in-betweens, dawn and dusk, or a long drive to anywhere. In any case, I have listened to a lot of Tamino while studying at university. (However much that might imply, double it.)

From the release of his debut EP to his latest project, Tamino has been compared to many greats of the past, including Jeff Buckley, Radiohead, and his grandfather, Egyptian superstar Moharam Fouad. Personally, though I can see where they come from, I don't think there is any accurate comparison for Tamino. His music, his lyricism, and the way he blends Arabic influences with Western rock and folk, are unique and wholly his own.

As it turns out, he also knows how to put on a show.

What he delivered far surpassed anything I'd expected and blew every other live show I had ever seen completely out of the water. It was stunning.

KOKO, in Camden Town, London, is a fantastic music venue, and unbelievably atmospheric. The building itself is beautiful and classic; the inside covered in red velvet and dark woods. The stage space is large but incredibly intimate, there are no spots where one would feel disconnected from the stage. I’d highly recommend seeing anyone there if you get the chance.

Despite arriving late, my friend and I were lucky enough to find a spot by the barrier, perhaps one or two rows from the front, just before the standing area filled with people. A busy audience, but one of the best crowds I have ever had the fortune to be in. Tamino has a diverse fanbase, and every kind of person you can think of was there somewhere, which I think is a testament to the wide reach and appeal of his music. The energy in the room before the show was lovely.

In what I think was quite a bold move, he started the set alone on stage with A Drop of Blood, accompanying himself on the oud. It’s a quiet, intense, and dark sounding song, but as an opener it set the mood perfectly. Never in my life have I felt silence like that; between each note you could hear every single audience member holding their breath.

The respect between audience and artist was tangible throughout; there was an unspoken understanding on which songs we would sing along too, and which songs we would not. (This included friends shushing each other if someone spoke too much.) Fascination, for example, was fair game. Habibi was not. During some songs, like Cigar and Indigo Night, the audience would join in on the first verse and then fade out together to let Tamino take the rest.

Tamino himself did not interact much directly with the crowd, apart from the occasional comment or response to a shout. He is very quiet on social media as well. He has a general aura of mystery around him more akin to a musician from a previous time, which he carries into his live performances. With his stage presence and vocal talent, he doesn’t need to interact directly with an audience to hold their attention.

The setlist was a mix of new releases and songs from the first album, each of which were performed to perfection. From the mellow, darker opening numbers, A Drop of Blood, The Longing, and The Flame through to Fascination, a fun, lively soft rock song; well placed to pick up the energy. Sunflower was gentle, breezy, and romantic, Persephone sad and melancholy. A notable rush passed through the audience at the first notes of Indigo Night.

Tamino’s vocal ability shined on his most iconic song and the main set closer, Habibi, which showcased his truly impressive range, control, and beautiful tone. It was an absolute privilege to hear sung live. Another highlight was the final song, Only Our Love, a soft romantic ballad that he also perfomed alone on stage. I had not listened to this one a huge amount before the show, but after hearing it live it instantly became one of my favourites on the album. His band were phenomenal, with incredible music arrangements on each song.

Compliment must also be paid to the lighting of the show, which went above and beyond the normal quality I see at gigs. It was clear that serious thought and time had been put into curating the visual element of the show. The lighting was so atmospheric, so beautiful, from the simple spotlight of the first song, to bathing the stage in red for another, to the blues and yellows of Fascination. On the second verse of The First Disciple, they turned dark green lights onto the audience that transformed the theatre into the crowded nightclub from the music video. In You Don’t Own me, Tamino started the song silhouetted against a single spotlight placed behind him, shining out into the audience. As the song built to its final chorus, gold spotlights lining the edge of the stage shone straight up at the ceiling to surround him with pillars of light and swirling smoke.

To get a little bit serious for a moment, this show was- and is- really important to me. I was struggling quite badly with stress and anxiety, academic pressure, and loneliness at the time. For weeks, the prospect of this show was the one thing I had to pull me through it. Standing in front of that stage was two hours of peace; a sense of calm in myself and my mind that I had not felt for a really long time. And the memories it has given me are precious.

Tamino’s music is wonderful however you listen to it, but I firmly believe he was meant to be heard live. I really do not have the words to describe how good he is live. The show was perfect. It was moving. It was calming. It was the best show I have ever been to. I have read back over the article I have just written, and it doesn’t feel like I’ve said enough. I suppose you'll just have to see him for yourself.

Holly Hughes-Rowlands