Tamino at Roundhouse

Standing in a former train shed, one doesn’t expect to be spun into an almost religious experience, but that all changes when Tamino walks onto the stage. London is the second of his three UK shows, and the Roundhouse is the perfect temple for him to lay bare his world of mystery and tragedy.

Opening with My Heroine, the setlist is studded with songs from his latest album Every Dawn’s a Mountain, which gave its name to this tour. As the band moves through Raven and The First Disciple, for which Tamino switches his guitar for an oud, the initial excitement that washed over the crowd when he entered the room has settled to quiet reverence.

Willow follows like a whispered prayer, while Sanctuary, a track Tamino originally recorded with Mitski, offers some warmth. Sahar songs The Flame and A Drop of Blood, carry an almost sacred intensity, and every pause hangs heavy, as if any sound from the audience would break the spell.

The Belgian-Egyptian artist is not one for theatrics, infamous for the melancholia and mystique that define his stage presence – backlit as if to detract attention from his physical form. The voice that comes out shifts effortlessly from sensual, subdued singing to a soaring falsetto, harmonising with Frederik Daelemans’s ethereal cello, helping draw out and highlight the Arabic influence in the music.

As the show draws to a close, more familiar favourites from Tamino’s debut album Amir, like Tummy and Persephone, draw some cheers, but it’s Indigo Nights that gets the crowd, until now lulled into a swaying trance, to sing along.

A stunning Babylon closes the show, before Tamino returns for an encore with just Daelemans. Spotlit, they treat us to a transcendent rendition of Dissolve that adds a final touch of magic before the rest of the band returns onstage. As the opening chords of much-anticipated yearner Habibi ring out, the audience joins softly, singing along one last time before floating back out onto the streets of Camden in a daze.

It’s not easy to hold a room in thrall without directly engaging with the audience, but Tamino is the kind of artist who prefers to let his work speak for him. And as he and his band step back into the shadows, it becomes clear that it’s this sincerity and respect for the music that keeps fans coming back.

Antigoni Pitta
Photos: Virginie Viche

For further information and future events, visit Tamino’s website here.

Watch the video for The First Disciple here: