Gig review: Nitin Sawhney at St George’s Hall, Bradford

This all too short UK tour was primarily in support of the 2021 partner to that epic album, Immigrants. Sawhney is a master of taking the music of his heritage and effortlessly fusing it with subtle electronic beats; overlaying guitars, strings, piano as well as singers from all parts of the world, from Shapla Salique’s jazz-soaked Bangladeshi voice to YVA’s atmospheric floating vocals.

Opening with Down The Road, the set encapsulated most of the stand-out tracks throughout Sawhney’s 12-album career. Homelands is frequently the barometer and, on this evening, was spectacular. Eos Counsell’s violin providing the energy to the opening bars, the rest of the track moving through its heady mix of influences. Tracks that rarely make an appearance did so here. Having first emerged as the evening’s support act, Natty delivered vocals on two tracks, the most poignant being Days of Fire, a narrative of the 2005 London terrorist attack.

Every Nitin Sawhney gig needs The Conference, a blistering a capella duet between the host and drumming colleague of over 30 years Aref Durvesh, but it’s the way in which the set blissfully sways from this to Nadia to You Are that sets this artist apart. It’s enchanting, thought provoking and emotional.

Given the musical genre on show, it could have reasonably been expected for the audience demographic to reflect that of the wider city, this message needs airing. Some of the most stringent ushers outside of the Bradford clubbing scene kept photography and videoing to a thankful minimum. Other venues should take note, perhaps consider hiring them on a rotational basis to eliminate the most annoying aspect of modern day gig attendance.

Current world events soak through the lyrics and messages with startling realism, a realism that even though it’s over two decades on from the masterpiece, brings an awareness that not enough has changed in the world. People are still being forcibly removed from their homelands, there is still division and segregation. Sawhney conveys these issues in the most accessible and heartfelt way, a vital element of the UK musical framework, and he needs to be listened to.