Nabihah Iqbal grew up with rock and metal, and her musical culture is clearly British, if not global. The London-born artist bears a Muslim name from southern Asia, and she tells us she doesn’t drink alcohol, preferring a drink made in Montreal. So what?
These are the only possible clues to her origins. I insist on this presentation, because what we love about Nabihah Iqbal has little or nothing to do with these considerations.
We listen to her music with consummate pleasure, and soon come to the conclusion that this gifted artist has everything it takes to be a citizen of the world, open, fulfilled and creative, while at the same time embracing her origins.
There was a time when Westerners of Caucasian origin expected their fellow citizens of non-Western origin to express their native culture through their actualizations in a Western context. Fortunately, this colonialist expectation of an ethno-cultural ornament no longer exists, or is steadily declining. This was clearly demonstrated on Saturday evening at the Rialto Hall, which was better packed than at any time during POP Montreal’s 23rd presentation.
The rhythms of this brilliant thirty-something’s music are binary or ternary, the harmonies tonal or modal, the lyrics universal. Her aesthetic draws on ethereal wave rock, the rock relative of ambient electronica. His work is somewhat reminiscent of that of the previous generation in the UK, such as Cocteau Twins, certain works by Massive Attack, My Bloody Valentine, Lush and other projects endorsed by the 4AD label in the 80s and 90s.
In fact, Nabihah Iqbal fuses the two and adapts them to her creative ambitions. As an orchestral designer and leader, and master of her own destiny, she has teamed up with her saxophonist and electro producer partner Aldous RH.
We were treated to a variety of rich proposals at different levels of intensity, sometimes heavier, sometimes more ethereal, all belonging to a coherent, fluid, accessible and, above all, highly inspired universe. That of Nabihah Iqbal, who certainly conquered the floor of the Rialto Hall. Will the hundreds of fans who turned out on Saturday spread the good news? To ask the question is to answer it: here’s a tangible buzz, for the best of reasons.
Photo Credit: Sarah ODriscoll
