With the mercury rising, it’s easy to think of the UAE live music scene as temporarily muted.
While the major concert calendar is lighter than usual, the eclectic options available prove the local concert scene is not only alive and kicking but also representing the diverse communities of the UAE.
To see and feel it, visit the lower-profile gigs and venues. Not only are they the lifeblood of the country’s live event sector but achieve what organisers and musicians strive for on stage in creating cherished moments of community bonding.
While social media and billboards plug the coming concert by Spanish pop star Enrique Iglesias at Dubai’s Coca-Cola Arena in September, the venue hosted a smaller and relatively little-known gig last weekend that was as impactful as any blockbuster show.
The singer Teddy Afro may be familiar only to discerning fans of world music, but to those from Ethiopia, he is their Taylor Swift. So when the show was announced, news spread on the Ethiopian community’s social media channels and WhatsApp groups. Restaurants and hair salons proudly displayed concert posters on windows and even church groups from Abu Dhabi and Dubai mobilised to hire minivans to bring fans to the arena.
The end result was one of the most joyous concerts experienced in the UAE. With the size of the arena adjusted to resemble a cosy 5,000-seater hall, it reverberated with the sounds of fans finally seeing their proud culture displayed on the stage.
Ale, an Ethiopian taxi driver from Dubai, told me the concert meant more to him than the music. “Like everyone here, you miss your homeland,” he said on the arena concourse. “So to see somebody from my country doing big things in the UAE makes you proud. There are Ethiopians here I met for the first time, so I feel happy I can also come dance and make some friends.”
These kinds of community-enriching experiences are readily available in the UAE on different scales and sounds. They not only provide respite from the rigours of everyday life but also a temporary balm for the trauma of being far away from home.
This has been the case for the UAE’s Sudanese community whose cultural gatherings took on greater resonance after their homeland descended into armed conflict last year. The sweet melodies of Sudanese pop music heard at Sudan in the Heart of the UAE Festival at Dubai World Trade Centre in May provided catharsis for a community on edge. I saw women in tears during a rendition of a classic folk song by the late Mohammed Wardi and families dancing to the peppy rhythms of the evening’s headliner Nancy Ajaj.
A similar effect will surely be experienced on Saturday when UAE’s vibrant levant communities come together to celebrate Palestine's folk music tradition at the Theatre of Digital Arts in Dubai.
Lebanese singer Rita Mikhael will provide a timely reminder of Palestine's history and heritage as she performs songs inspired by its greatest composers and poets. Sometimes, these lesser profile shows are a gateway to discovering new genres. Once again, the Theatre of Digital Arts is an ideal place to begin those journeys with an ongoing programme of concerts ranging from Cuban mambo and French chansons to New Orleans jazz and mystical Sufi chants.
And those who didn’t know of the Philippines' storied rock history should check out Eraser Heads when they make a rare appearance here at the Dubai Exhibition Centre in December, while UAE’s major clubs are the best avenue to hear the latest electronic sounds from Africa.
This all shows how the local music scene is not only vigorous but embodying the cosmopolitan and tolerant characteristics defining the UAE.
