Duman sets the stage on fire, Bosphorus up in smoke
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Evrim Sel
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Haziran 30, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - As part of a series of events organized in support of the band’s latest dual album, Turkish rock band Duman (Smoke) performs a concert Saturday night at Turkcell Kuruçeşme Arena. Following a couple of songs from the new albums, lead singer Kaan Tangöze’s voice begins to crack and takes the form of his much loved arabesque tone.
One of Turkey’s most prominent rock bands, Duman, rocked the Turkcell Kuruçeşme Arena on Saturday night. The Istanbul concert was part of a series of events organized around Turkey in support of the band’s dual album Duman I and Duman II, which was released earlier this year.
Hundreds of Duman fans chanted the band’s song "Köprüaltı" as the band was around a half hour late to take the stage. The song, which served the purpose of building up the tension for the first appearance of lead singer Kaan Tangöze on the stage, calls out for a gathering under the old bridge, referring to Eski Kemancı or Köprüaltı, a cult bar that used to be a roof to gather under for many misbehaving teenagers of the 90s. The bar, which used to provide cheep beer among other things, is gone, but its legend continues to live via word of mouth.
Finally the band appeared on stage and Tangöze shouted out the well-known phrase "Çok Sağolun," (Thank you very much) in his own distinct accent, which made the words a trademark of the band, only to hear a much louder echo of the same phrase from the loyal fans.
Then the concert started with the band’s new song, "Dibine Kadar" (Right Down to the Bottom), revolting against those that always misunderstood. That is also the first song the band shot a video for this year. Then came the album’s second song, "Sarhoş" (Drunk), and the third one, "Sor Bana Pişman mıyım?" (Ask Me If I Regret). The songs were chanted in the same order as on the CDs and the sound was as clean as on the albums. At that point, many wondered whether the band was playing live or lip-syncing, as the sound was as clear as on the CDs.
Although thankfully it did not take much for the band to realize that they needed a boost in the atmosphere and needed to sing an older song to make the crowd jump. Following a couple of songs from the new albums, Tangöze’s voice began to crack and took the form of his much loved arabesque tone. Then the crowd began to feel as if, well, they were actually at a Duman concert. A song from their "Seni Kendime Sakladım" (I Kept You to Myself) album "En Güzel Günüm Gece" (My Best Day and Night) finally does the trick and almost all of the people sitting on the tribunes flocked to the floor like a tsunami hitting the shore. Hands in the air, swinging from side to side, fans began to scream at the top of their lungs, "Chose your song and come along with me. Let’s shout together."
Tangöze’s deeper voice took over and mesmerized the fans, leaving many women wondering why the hell they find this skinny, almost ugly man on stage so damn attractive. The band finally got in the mood, as Tangöze lit up a cigarette, oozing melancholy. New songs mixed in with the old ones, the usual ever-changing emotional state of the band took over the concert, reflecting on the fans that had been feeding on tap beer and popcorn since they arrived at the arena. The crowd hit the bottom of their drinks with "Yalan" (Lie), as Tangöze ululated to a loved one. "A wolf died from love by my side. Lets run away from here, and climb the mountains."
Songs like "Yağmurun Sabahında" (Morning After the Rain), "Elleri Ellerime" (Your Hands to Mine), "Bu Aşk Beni Yorar" (This Love Would Wear Me Out), and "Seni Kendime Sakladım" (I Kept You To Myself) dispersed melancholy among the crowd. Then, the band switched to its songs reflecting its political views, such as "İyi de Bana Ne" (Well, Who Cares?), "Rezil" (Vile) and "Paranoya" (Paranoia). The crowd snapped out of its melancholy mood, and anger and frustration took over the arena. Guitarist Batuhan Mutlugil, bass guitar player Ari Barokas and drummer Cengiz Baysal lost themselves under the blissful sky watching over an amazing view of the lit up Bosphorus and jammed into the night.
Controversial song
The crowd’s reaction to the song "Rezil" was quite different from the reaction it has received from some nongovernmental organizations, headed by the Islamist Anatolia Youth Association, or AGD.
Back in May, NGOs initiated a campaign called "Don’t let Duman come to Antalya," in an effort to keep the band from playing there in support of its new album. The song that has sparked the controversy deals with corruption in society and people’s silence against it. One line in the song, "lem yelid ve löp yutar," adapted from a verse in the Koran, says that people sometimes use religion for personal gain.
In Istanbul, hundreds of Duman fans, who were no longer able to stay sitting, gathered in front of the stage, where Tangöze stood shirtless with his guitar strapped to his shoulder, to shout "lem yelid ve löp yutar" as loud as they possibly could.
Time flew by. Just like many other near perfect moments in one’s live, this concert came to an end too early, as the clock hit 12 a.m., which is when the sound needed to be turned down according to the city’s noise pollution regulation. As the band saluted the crowed one last time, some had already ran out the door, as it often gets quite hard to find transportation to leave the area after a concert.
Hundreds of Duman fans chanted the band’s song "Köprüaltı" as the band was around a half hour late to take the stage. The song, which served the purpose of building up the tension for the first appearance of lead singer Kaan Tangöze on the stage, calls out for a gathering under the old bridge, referring to Eski Kemancı or Köprüaltı, a cult bar that used to be a roof to gather under for many misbehaving teenagers of the 90s. The bar, which used to provide cheep beer among other things, is gone, but its legend continues to live via word of mouth.
Finally the band appeared on stage and Tangöze shouted out the well-known phrase "Çok Sağolun," (Thank you very much) in his own distinct accent, which made the words a trademark of the band, only to hear a much louder echo of the same phrase from the loyal fans.
Then the concert started with the band’s new song, "Dibine Kadar" (Right Down to the Bottom), revolting against those that always misunderstood. That is also the first song the band shot a video for this year. Then came the album’s second song, "Sarhoş" (Drunk), and the third one, "Sor Bana Pişman mıyım?" (Ask Me If I Regret). The songs were chanted in the same order as on the CDs and the sound was as clean as on the albums. At that point, many wondered whether the band was playing live or lip-syncing, as the sound was as clear as on the CDs.
Although thankfully it did not take much for the band to realize that they needed a boost in the atmosphere and needed to sing an older song to make the crowd jump. Following a couple of songs from the new albums, Tangöze’s voice began to crack and took the form of his much loved arabesque tone. Then the crowd began to feel as if, well, they were actually at a Duman concert. A song from their "Seni Kendime Sakladım" (I Kept You to Myself) album "En Güzel Günüm Gece" (My Best Day and Night) finally does the trick and almost all of the people sitting on the tribunes flocked to the floor like a tsunami hitting the shore. Hands in the air, swinging from side to side, fans began to scream at the top of their lungs, "Chose your song and come along with me. Let’s shout together."
Tangöze’s deeper voice took over and mesmerized the fans, leaving many women wondering why the hell they find this skinny, almost ugly man on stage so damn attractive. The band finally got in the mood, as Tangöze lit up a cigarette, oozing melancholy. New songs mixed in with the old ones, the usual ever-changing emotional state of the band took over the concert, reflecting on the fans that had been feeding on tap beer and popcorn since they arrived at the arena. The crowd hit the bottom of their drinks with "Yalan" (Lie), as Tangöze ululated to a loved one. "A wolf died from love by my side. Lets run away from here, and climb the mountains."
Songs like "Yağmurun Sabahında" (Morning After the Rain), "Elleri Ellerime" (Your Hands to Mine), "Bu Aşk Beni Yorar" (This Love Would Wear Me Out), and "Seni Kendime Sakladım" (I Kept You To Myself) dispersed melancholy among the crowd. Then, the band switched to its songs reflecting its political views, such as "İyi de Bana Ne" (Well, Who Cares?), "Rezil" (Vile) and "Paranoya" (Paranoia). The crowd snapped out of its melancholy mood, and anger and frustration took over the arena. Guitarist Batuhan Mutlugil, bass guitar player Ari Barokas and drummer Cengiz Baysal lost themselves under the blissful sky watching over an amazing view of the lit up Bosphorus and jammed into the night.
Controversial song
The crowd’s reaction to the song "Rezil" was quite different from the reaction it has received from some nongovernmental organizations, headed by the Islamist Anatolia Youth Association, or AGD.
Back in May, NGOs initiated a campaign called "Don’t let Duman come to Antalya," in an effort to keep the band from playing there in support of its new album. The song that has sparked the controversy deals with corruption in society and people’s silence against it. One line in the song, "lem yelid ve löp yutar," adapted from a verse in the Koran, says that people sometimes use religion for personal gain.
In Istanbul, hundreds of Duman fans, who were no longer able to stay sitting, gathered in front of the stage, where Tangöze stood shirtless with his guitar strapped to his shoulder, to shout "lem yelid ve löp yutar" as loud as they possibly could.
Time flew by. Just like many other near perfect moments in one’s live, this concert came to an end too early, as the clock hit 12 a.m., which is when the sound needed to be turned down according to the city’s noise pollution regulation. As the band saluted the crowed one last time, some had already ran out the door, as it often gets quite hard to find transportation to leave the area after a concert.