London offers the world. After summer shenanigans at South Asian events, Polish and Uzbek festivals I find myself in Shepherd’s Bush waiting for an Armenian band to take to the stage. Ladaniva – led by the disarmingly charming vocalist Jaklin Baghdasaryan. Eurovision 2024 was ignited by this mischievous minx bounding around the Malmo set with her band and their modern take on girl power liberation – Jako.
After stealing the show on that massive Malmo stage Jaklin and the band play the first of two sold out shows in London at the intimate Bush Hall venue. This is their debut London gig. Jaklin was born in Armenia, grew up in Belarus and after meeting trumpeter Louis in Lille, she’s spent the past decade in France. She’s as well-travelled as the Ladaniva sound.
World music can sometimes be a lazy, catch-all description for anything that doesn’t fit the UK/US Westernised genre. Ladaniva are just full of fun and have a zest for life. They’re so globally appealing and gypsy jazz, chanteuse ballads, Middle Eastern vibes and Latin grooves weave effortlessly through their set.
An instrumental medley opens the night before Jaklin arrives. There’s that cheeky twinkle in her eye. A diminutive figure of frankly breath-taking beauty. Her voice is even more incredible and she’s as comfortable belting out the Armenian gypsy dance songs as she is singing a sensual French ballad. Vay Aman is packed with exotic Armenian charm and Jaklin’s voice is key especially during the brief breaks in the music where it’s just her and her voice.
Ladaniva introduce London to their take on the Armenian classic song Zepyuri Nman nicely fused with dreamy percussion and reggae and jazz embellishments. There’s an Armenian flag waving around the crowd now but this is a global audience. A Dutch woman next to me hasn’t stopped dancing! Nations united for the music. This is exactly the goal of Ladaniva as Jaklin points out, “we just try to create a world without borders…”.
The energy is intense before there’s a change of pace and the sultry stroll of Ne Do Sna inspires a laidback brass-off with saxophone and trumpet coolly competing as if to win Jaklin’s heart. The versatility of the band is impressive. The opening track Manoushak from their eponymous debut is simply beautiful and Jaklin’s pure voice floats over Shepherd’s Bush. The Uxbridge Road is transformed into an Eastern bazaar with heady images of magical lands swirling all around. This really is world music. Armenian classic Baleni is gorgeous too and Bush Hall is just smitten. Ladaniva even sneak in an English track with a lovely rendition of On The Sunny Side of The Street – very appropriate as this band exude sunshine with every note.
After the romance, the cheekiness returns with the Latin tinged folk fun of Kef Chilini. The infectious Pourquoi T’as Fait Ça? brings maximum audience participation with everyone echoing Jaklin’s “ay ay ay ay ay” refrain. The room resembles an Armenian wedding party by now as Shakar bounces in and Jaklin submerges herself into the crowd as some serious group dancing ensues. it’s a very happy place. Even happier are the fans who are invited on to the stage to dance with her. Swoon. Louis (and his trumpet) also launches himself into the fray and is consumed by the crowd.
The joyful Eurovision song Jako – which earned Ladaniva eighth place in the contest – finally arrives! It’s a sweet dessert after the eclectic treats delivered so cheerily throughout the set. Very much Jaklin’s song – an autobiographical cry about how you can’t keep ‘Jako’ down and she’ll dance if she wants to!
In these post-Brexit times it’s a blessing whenever any band breaks through the cultural barriers and reaches these shores. Ladaniva are one of the best. Their vast musical knowledge, superb musicianship and the adorable talent that is Jaklin Baghdasaryan make them an exciting prospect for any festival this summer. You just might need your passport and a Eurostar ticket to experience this much joy again.
