Edinburgh Fringe 2025
Agadez and Antonio Forcione: Queendoms Unplugged
Agadez featuring Anotonio Forcione
Genre: Live Music, Music
Venue: Assembly Roxy
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
A musical journey through archaic feminine cults performed on drums, guitar and bass with three female singers.
Review
The music is ethereal. The setting is dark and evocative. There is haze in the air and a darkened stage. This sets the scene for what will be an hour of mood-setting songs.
The theme is a journey through the archaic feminine cults that followed the primordial one of the Great Mother. From the moment names and identities were given to the many faces of the Goddess, the cult of the Goddesses has crossed all existing civilizations: a single essence that changes shape, to the rhythm of sacred drums and the singing of lyrical and passionate lines.
Centre stage is Agadez, who has a variety of sizes and shapes of drums. She is a singer, songwriter, and composer of this music. She says that her sounds evoke archaic mythologies and tribal worlds. Her intent was to write a score that would put her listeners into a trance as they experience the different personalities of the Goddesses through varying musical styles.
Antonio Forcione is the guitarist who uses his instrument as a Shaman and also plays drum. He is also a composer. Together they conceived this pageant as a kind of ritual.
The concert is divided into 10 movements, each one named for a goddess. Tanit is the Great Berber Goddess, whose origins are a mystery. Isis is the Great Mother of Ancient Egypt, sister and wife of Osiris. She is the most powerful of the sorceresses, and that power is reflected in the pulsating music. Nut is the mother of Isis and wife of Geb. She keeps the balance between light and darkness. Tefnut is the mother of Nut and Isis. Goddess of winter and mother of all gods, Beira rules over the weather. We know Aphrodite from our history studies. She brings energy of love, musically portrayed with soaring yet gentle vocals. Inanna is the most important Sumerian Deity, who went into the underworld, as the music gets darker. Dana is the primordial deity who gave birth to the Celtic Irish lineage. That is a lovely connection to this area of the world. Lilith is mysterious and dark, similar to much of the musical score. Egate is a triple Goddess: maiden, other and crone. She is the magic. The music is created to evoke that magical feeling, very atmospheric.
The band of Natalia Bacalov on electric cello, Martin Sevrin on bass, Lucrezia Testa Iannilli on bodhran, and Simone Pulvano on percussion support the leading vocals of Agadez. The swirling dynamics act to not only paint a picture of each Goddess but to create a meditative mood for the audience. The setting is always dark and contemplative.
This is new music through the inspiration and creative lens of two outstanding performers. It will leave you thinking about the themes and importance of those who are portrayed. The music has been recorded and is available as Queendoms Unplugged on streaming services.
