Meltdown Festival : Patti Smith, Royal Festival Hall, London (GB) - 18 juin 2009

Soap&Skin is Anja Plaschg. She sang to her own piano accompaniment and electronics. Interesting original compositions and both piano and voice were high quality. Patti Smith sang and recited her poetry and played acoustic guitar and clarinet with, in various combinations, Adrian Utley (from Portishead) guitar, Efrim Menuck (from Silver Mt Zion Memorial Orchestra) drums, Jesse Smith (her daughter) piano. Then the Master Musicians of Jajouka (led by Bachir Attar) played, their instruments being four percussion (tebel/tarija) and four reeds (rhaita). This is Moroccan music in the Sufi tradition. However there is a problem of identity since two groups with similar names from the same village exist and this performance just might have been by the Master Musicians of Joujouka. The next guest was Flea (from the Red Hot Chili Peppers) who joined in with bass guitar. Then the Silver Mt Zion Memorial Orchestra the likely members of which were: Jessica Moss or Sophie Trudeau violin, Beckie Foon cello, Thierry Amar double bass, Efrim Menuck guitar, Ian Ilavsky guitar, David Payant drums. Everyone played with everyone, it seemed. Rather an odd concert with disparate stuff which didn’t come together. Distinctly underwhelmed by Patti Smith. Reviewed by Alexis Petridis in The Guardian of 19 June 2009.