A very Iranian night
I am sure most of you have already heard of ARIAN pop music band but I was lucky enough to attend their performance in Manchester last night: the most Iranian experience with pop music! Lovely boys and girl with their beautiful eastern shyness (girls mainly looked at the ceiling throughout!) who played very western instruments at professional level. I was so proud and excited to witness a partial reconciliation between Iranian values and western culture, a true peaceful clash of Iranian tradition and the Modernity without usual contradictions. Despite the habitual snobbishness at the end by the organiser you could feel how easily everybody relate to them, people found it difficult to express how different they found the experience compare to the typical Californian!! one but it was obvious that it was a pleasant sensation even if they were unable to articulate it. The most enjoyable part for me was when bubbly Sahar the petite backing vocalist played percussion and seemed very exited, it reminded me of tapping on the benches at school,so real and humbel, so happy!!! I sincerely hope that I would have a chance to see them again preferably in Iran.
You've been lucky to be able to attend such a concert. I watched their interview with BBC Persian on the internet where they played two pieces. Apart from the strange behaviour of their program manager (the guy who was sitting beside Behzad Bolour of BBC) I found the rest of the group very sweet and talented.
Considering the current situation in Iran, it is a *GIFT* that talented people inside the country have got the chance to grow and become international. This is what Iranian music seriously needed, to break the rules and grow out of the bog of LA-based junk music production.
Did you manage to take any photographs?
(at December 7, 2004 12:47 PM)
Where was the Manchester concert? (I mean the location?)... ah miss that city. Such concert would be the perfect chance to take your non-Iranian friends with you.
By the way Arian's website address is:
http://www.arianmusic.com/
I wonder why they don't spell it like "Aryan", this is the correct spelling isn't it?
(at December 7, 2004 04:38 PM)
Guys I am sorry but I don,t know Manchester at all.I was taken there by a lovely relative who knew I would enjoy it.I did take any photos too.sorry I am a lazy bogger I know!!It was interesting I sort of interveiwed every non Iranian that I could at the break!! and it seems that Iranian pop music sounds wonderfully to a non persian speaker,s ear which is great!take care
(at December 7, 2004 04:44 PM)
PS:I did not take any photos cheers
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