Concert Review: Tamino
- Emma Zoe Polyak
- Mar 4, 2024
- 4 min read
There are a few artists that I absolutely love seeing live. I’m talking drop-everything-as-soon-as-they-announce-a-show love. Their concerts are always a transcendent experience and make for some of the best shows that I’ve ever been to. One of these artists is Tamino. While his concerts don’t have elaborate light works or fancy productions – in fact, three out of the four times that I’ve seen him, he performed solo with only his guitar – his vocals and stage presence have the power to captivate audiences of any size.
Tamino is a Belgian-Egyptian singer and songwriter, who infuses pieces of his mixed heritage together to create a sound that is a wonderful blend of indie rock with Arabic instruments and accents. Born in Belgium, he is the grandson of one of Egypt’s most famous singers, Muharram Fouad. Tamino first rose to the spotlight in his native Belgium when he won a national radio contest in 2017. Since then, he’s worked with artists such as Radiohead’s Colin Greenwood, and opened for artists such as Lana Del Rey and Mitski. He’s also boasted a slew of headline shows across Europe and the United States. His poetic lyrics and emotional voice have captured me since the first time I heard him. If you need even more convincing to attend one of his shows, let me tell you about the first time that I saw him live, and how it made me fall in love with concerts!
Black Cat, Washington D.C. – Oct 11, 2022
I didn’t really know what to expect going into it. In addition to being my first Tamino concert, this was the first time that I attended a concert in an intimate setting – my previous experiences were seeing Bon Jovi in an arena several years ago and attending a Global Citizens festival in Central Park, NY, a month prior. On top of this, my family and I traveled all the way to Washington D.C. for the show because I wasn’t old enough to get in the venue he was playing at in Philadelphia (petition to change all venues to 18+ instead of 21+). Luckily, I had my parents with me for this trip, who were concert experts, and helped me navigate the concert.
We made sure to get there a couple of hours before the doors opened, as all tickets were general admission, which meant that the earlier we got there, the closer we’d get to the stage. Even so, we slightly overestimated how much traffic we would hit and ended up getting there pretty early. Nevertheless, there were already people queued up, so I joined in the line. My parents left to explore the area a bit and find some coffee while I got to know the people around me in line. This was my first experience of how generous and welcoming fans are. I made quick friends with others who also traveled a bit to get there, and even met a few people from Philly – talk about a small world!
The wait passed quickly, and before I knew it, I was a couple of feet from Tamino. He didn’t have an opener, which somehow only added to everyone’s anticipation. He played a gorgeous set of songs from both of his albums, Amir and Sahar, and even sang a cover of Chris Cornell’s “Seasons”. He managed to enchant the entire room with just his vocals and guitar and delivered an extremely raw and moving performance. There was something captivating yet soothing about the way he played his songs, and his vocal range really shone. My favorite song from his set was “Sunflower,” a song that he sings on the album with Belgian popstar Angèle but performed solo. There were other songs that brought tears to my eyes, but the energy of the audience was unmatched. Everyone was respectful, and there was a comforting mood in the air.
It was over too fast, but my mum had one last concert tip to share: how to meet the artist. She led me to the back entrance of the venue where, after a few hours of shivering, we got the chance to meet Tamino and tell him how great the show was. He was super humble and kind enough to sign our vinyl. I was floating the entire ride home – there’s nothing better than meeting an artist who turns out to be nice in person!
Encore!
Needless to say, I couldn’t wait to see Tamino live again. Keep reading to hear about all the other times I saw Tamino in concert!
Music Hall of Williamsburg, New York City, NY – Oct 13, 2022
With some luck and impulsivity, I was able to get tickets to his show in New York City just a few days later. Because this concert and trip were so last minute, I ended up getting to the venue just as the opener was finishing. I was also towards the back of the venue, but the experience wasn’t any less powerful further away from the stage. As if the night wasn’t wild enough, I found out that my mum managed to get into the venue for free – she truly is the concert expert I look up to!
Rock Werchter, Belgium – June 30, 2023
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to see Tamino on his next tour in the US in 2023, but I did attend Rock Werchter festival in Belgium during the summer of 2023, where he had his band with him. Once again, it was stunning seeing him live, and this show was a whole new level. His songs were more upbeat and rockier, causing an entire field of people to jump and sway along to his songs. He also played a few unreleased songs, inciting hope for the release of a new album.
The Met, Philadelphia, PA – February 6, 2024
The most recent time I saw Tamino was when he opened for Mitski in Philadelphia a few weeks ago. He only played a few songs and faced some technical difficulties but most of the songs that he played were unreleased. He even shared that he had written one of them a week earlier!
He still has some shows left supporting Mitski and will play three headline shows in Mexico for the first time in April. You can check out his upcoming shows here.
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