Saturday September 24
DOORS 8:30 PM
SHOW TIME 10:00 PM
VENUE Adelaide Hall
250 Adelaide St W, Toronto, ON M5H 1X6
TICKETS
Early Bird: $30 (SOLD OUT)
Summer Special: $35
PURCHASE TICKETS IN-PERSON
Pay with e-transfer or cash and save on online service fees (limited quantities).
Contact 416-830-5964 on WhatsApp or email tpffevents@gmail.com.
From the occupied Golan Heights to Toronto – TPFF is excited to present the TootArd! Brothers Hasan & Rami Nakhleh’s latest musical journey is a nostalgia inspired homage to synthed-out Arabic disco pop, and melancholic songs of freedom. Join the Toronto Palestine Film Festival as TootArd electrifies Adelaide Hall’s stage on September 24th, 2022. Get your tickets today - they will go fast!
Providing the inspiration for ‘Migrant Birds’, the recent album from TootArd, the band’s new sound is a captivating and nostalgia-inspired homage to the era of synthed-out Arabic disco pop. While inspired by the pioneering musicians that electrified contemporary Arabic music with synthesizers and electric guitars, the 80s, with glittering, carefree vibe may be the catalyst, but the real roots of the music run deeper.
Under the beats and the joy, there’s a dark contrast, a sorrow that casts its shadow across the lyrics. Yet, the solemnity also creates a melancholic feeling to soothe boiling emotions, sad love songs that facilitate one's' understanding of the struggle. Notably, it’s also a strong and intriguing departure from the band’s iconic guitar-driven desert blues and mountain reggae iconised in their 2019 Glitterbeat release ‘Laissez Passer’.
The album’s core is based on a simple idea – freedom; the freedom to be a Migrant Bird that can fly away. But perhaps that’s a tough feat for people who remain officially “undefined” and stateless. Those who are born in the occupied Golan Heights – like the Nakhleh brothers – have no passport, a situation that has existed since the late 1960’s when Israel occupied the region.
While proudly rooted in the Middle East, Migrant Birds has become an infectious and globally accessible sound. The Nakhleh brothers hope that one day, TootArd will be free to fly away wher ever they choose. Until then, though, the Migrant Birds can fill the dancefloors.
TootArd in the Media
“TootArd are great fans of Touareg music - another stateless people - as well as Arabic classical and from this mix they conjure up some catchy riffs with guitars, sax and well-judged drumming. ****”
LONDON EVENING STANDARD
“A love letter to the PSR-62 Oriental, the synthesiser whose quarter tones and popping drum sounds fuelled 1980s dance floors from Beirut to the Gulf.”**** ”
FINANCIAL TIMES
Keep up with TootArd
Kazdoura
Kazdoura is a Toronto based music group that presents Arabic fusion. The project was founded by Leen and Johnny in the summer of 2020. It started as performing some of the Arabic classics, but in a modern and re-invented style.
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