Glass reviews Junun at the Barbican, London

LAST year we were given the musical collaboration of Junun – consisting of England’s Jonny Greenwood, India’s Rajasthan Express and Israel’s singer songwriter Shye Ben Tzur. Junun recorded their self-titled album in Rajasthan’s Mehranghar Fort, which was documented in an accompanying film by independent filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson. It hears the band create an explosive fuse between Eastern and Western sounds, which they brought to the Barbican stage in March as part of Convergence festival.

11 men occupy the stage, 10 of which wear traditional Indian clothing. The odd one out is Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood, who bore a humble t-shirt and jean combination – his normal attire, but an unusual sight amongst the Rajasthan Express who sported blue turbans.

Junun_C16_Barb_11Mar©Antonio Pagano_0053Junun. Photograph: Antonio Pagano

Although it’s Greenwood’s name that drew the majority of the crowd, he certainly isn’t the centre of attention in Junun, hiding at the back of the stage almost completely out of sight. All eyes are on Shye and the Rajasthan express, who entertain us with their expressive performance style under the Barbican’s warming pink and blue lights. Greenwood’s contribution is mostly subtle, and his electric guitar and effects merge into the set well. However, on songs like Junun we hear more of an input as we are reminded of his Radiohead roots when electronic rhythms become the backbone for some songs.

Junun_C16_Barb_11Mar©Antonio Pagano_0029Shye Ben Tzur. Photograph: Antonio Pagano

The band take up the span of given performance space, and the clattering between songs reminds us just how many instruments are featured on stage. The two nagara drummers sat to the left frequently caught eyes as they thrashed away at their drum skins in unison, often spinning their sticks around between songs as if they were in an American rock band. This certainly didn’t look traditional, but the powerful North Indian beat said otherwise.

The Tuba, Trumpet and Trombone contributed greatly to the night’s tempo, as they burst into many of the songs with a might that suggested they may also be in a ska band. The brass section added a sense of mischief to the night, and made the music especially lively, and the set’s upbeat tempo encouraged a party-like atmosphere.

Chugge Khan, who played various Rajasthani percussion, often encouraged clapping from the audience whilst frequently throwing his hands in the air during the performance. His enthusiasm during the last three songs made it feel incredibly unnatural stay seated. It was when the bass heavy Roked started that audience members broke the formality of sitting down, and jumped out of their seats to dance.

Junun_C16_Barb_11Mar©Antonio Pagano_0086Chugge Khan playing Rajasthani percussion. Photograph: Antonio Pagano

Suddenly the Barbican’s concert hall – a place where I am usually sat down enjoying the tranquillity of London’s Sympany Orhcestra – had turned into some sort of nightclub, with bass-heavy music pumping through the struggling speakers. The whole experience was unique, and there was no standing ovation needed, for we were all on our feet for the duration of the encore.

Individual solos broke up the set, giving time to absorb the sound of each instrument – some of which were totally unfamiliar.

by Katrina Mirpuri

Photographs: Antonio Pagano