Toronto Palestine Film Festival: TootArd Live in Toronto

Doors 8:30PM Show 10:00PM

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.

Follow the band!