music, cinema, photography, art and more
Tending What Is Near, the new post on The Listening Room HQ
, my men’s practice and The Polymath sister site, speaks of how in a restless world, strength often begins with simple acts of attention. A reflection on tending to the people and responsibilities closest to us, and the quiet discipline of noticing what is within reach and can be read here.
The Pisces New Moon and Aries Equinox mark a quiet threshold. The closing of one cycle and the beginning of another as the year turns toward new fire and life. I wrote a brief note on this seasonal change on The Polymath site. It can be read here.
The Walk – A Discipline For Peace the new post at The Listening Room HQ The Listening Room HQ comes from the Walk for Peace the Buddhist Monks walk, and speaks about peace as discipline, not performance. A 2,300-mile walk for peace that formalized an ongoing path. It can be read on The Listening Room HQ site.
words: Paulo Carmona (translated and edited by Raquel Pinheiro)
photos: Daniela Tendim
Suede are like a top-quality Port. Once “vintage”, forever vintage. The years pass and the quality improves unequivocally. They never disappoint, never waver, never compromise. Whenever they step onto a stage they are completely focused, always ready to give their best, and their best is of a very high standard.
As it was at Super Bock Arena, in Porto, where they came to present their latest album – Antidepressants – to their newest friends and to those who have followed them for years. A quick glance around the room was enough to realise that Suede captivate every generation.
If Simon Gilbert and Mat Osman are the band’s unquestionable maestros, thanks to their experience and talent, cohesive and brilliant in their rhythmic execution, then Richard Oakes and Neil Codling provide the stylised melodies that shape and define the Suede sound.
As for Brett Anderson – the lead singer – he ought to be the subject of a scientific study. A remarkable performer, an absolute stage monster. He seems to run on batteries that never run out, radiating an emotional energy capable of stirring a bear in the depths of hibernation. I would say he is a teenager recycled at supersonic speed. The audience adores him, every gesture, every mannerism, every swing of his body.
From the setlist chosen for this show, it must be said that they swept across their vast repertoire, with particular emphasis on songs from the latest album — very well received by the audience, it should be noted — but also including the epic and iconic songs of old, songs that belong to all times. I would highlight Trash, Can’t Get Enough and Everything Will Flow, which drove the crowd into complete delirium, and, of course, The Beautiful Ones, which figuratively brought the whole arena down.
Brett did not confine himself to the pit and ventured straight into the middle of the crowd. Amid shouts, tears, applause, hugs and kisses, he somehow managed to slip back onto the stage to close the concert in total apotheosis.
Grab your glasses, and yell from the bottom of your lungs! Cheers, Suede!
The Band:
Brett Anderson – lead vocals
Mat Osman – bass
Simon Gilbert – drums
Richard Oakes – guitar
Neil Codling – guitar, keyboards, backing vocals.
Setlist:
Disintegrate
Antidepressants
Trash
Animal Nitrate
We Are the Pigs
Personality Disorder
Sabotage
New Generation
Filmstar
Can’t Get Enough
June Rain
She Still Leads Me On
Shadow Self
Trance State
The Wild Ones (acoustic Brett Anderson & Richard Oakes)
Everything Will Flow
So Young
Metal Mickey
Beautiful Ones
Dancing with the Europeans
words: Marcos Leal (edited by Raquel Pinheiro)
photos: Telma Mota
Primitive Reason’s concert a week ago at Hard Club was far more than a return to the stage, it was a statement of vitality.
The band celebrated the 30th anniversary of Alternative Prison, an album that shaped the Portuguese alternative scene and continues to resonate powerfully across generations. In addition to the songs from the celebrated album, the setlist included other classic songs, and even a previously unheard live one: Sancaro (The Death of the Gaupameis).
The classic lineup – Brian Jackson, Guillermo de Llera,Jorge Felizardo, Mark Cain, and Abel Beja – reunited once again. From the very first minute, the chemistry felt intact, the presence was powerful, and the energy was contagious, making Hard Club pulse with excitement, especially among those who had lived Alternative Prison in the prime of their youth, now in their fifties and parents themselves.
The band’s signature fusion – rap, punk, hardcore, reggae, and ska – proved it still works and still spreads its infectious energy. The audience, made up of longtime fans and newcomers alike, responded with intensity, creating the kind of atmosphere Primitive Reason have always cultivated: participatory, loud, and emotional.
I watched with a smile as that generation jumped and moshed as if they had stepped back in time, despite the intense heat inside the packed Hard Club Room 1. Sweat and nostalgia were everywhere.
All the members of the band showed musical cohesion and a strong sense of unity, clearly surprised and energized by the audience’s displays of devotion. Drummer Jorge Felizardo even joined the crowd for a mosh. Not even the small technical issues at the start – particularly with Brian Jackson’s vocals – disrupted the performance.
The concert was part of a larger celebration that also featured bands like Bad Tomato and Hetta. These choices reinforced the dialogue between generations and the lasting influence of Primitive Reason on Portuguese alternative music.
A memorable concert, filled with history, energy, and identity. Primitive Reason proved they remain relevant, intense, and capable of setting a room on fire like few portuguese bands can.
For those who grew up with Alternative Prison, it was a journey back in time; for those discovering them now, a revelation.
The band ended both performances revitalized and with a clear desire to return to the stage soon.
Good morning with our Middle of the Week Song – Spray Tan Speed Queen (In a German Car) by Crooked Fingers. Have a nice day.
Hi with Hanging Out With a Blueberry Pop by Croz Boyce – Dave Portner (Avey Tare) e Brian Weitz (Geologist) of Animal Collective. Have a nice afternoon.
The repeat of my radio show My Amazing Songs & Other Delights #63 – The Say Hello, Wave Goodbye edition is broadcasted Monday 16 & 23, 3-4pm (London time) on Yé Yé Radio: yeyeradio.com (or on the app).
The title comes from the Soft Cell song of the same name, here on a cover by David Gray. There’s some of my music, along, among others, Franz Schubert, Old Jerusalem, The Clash, Kings of Leon, Bernard Butler. You can read the programme original text here.
Tracklist:
01 – Raquel Pinheiro – Big Bang (radio edit)
02 – Old Jerusalem – Red sun over the interstate
03 – Franz Schubert – Erlkönig, (Op. 1, D. 328 – Wer reitet so spät sung by Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau)
04 – The Modern Lovers – Dodge Veg o-matic
05 – Bernard Butler – Camber Sands
06 – The Fugs – Bartleby The Scrivener
07 – Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
08 – David Gray – Say Hello, Wave Goodbye (Soft Cell cover)
09 – The Beatles – Drive My Car
10 – The Clash – Lost In The Supermarket
11 – Kings of Leon – Going Nowhere (live in Nashville)
12 – Siouxsie & The Banshees – The Passenger (Iggy Pop cover)
13 – The Proclaimers – I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) (2011 remaster)
14 – Aaron Copland – Going to Heaven! (Emily Dickinson poem, sung by Sanford Sylvan)
15 – Little Eve – The Loco-Motion (remaster)
16 – The June Carriers – Pastoral Epigraph
Good morning with Bruce Springsteen’s cover of The Pogues’ A Rainy Night In Soho, from the tribute album 20th Century Paddy – The Songs of Shane MacGowan. Have a nice weekend.
Hi and Happy Sunday with I Just Can’t Get Over Losing You by The Lemon Twigs.
words: Paulo Carmona (freely translated by Raquel Pinheiro)
photos: Paulo Carmona
For those who, like myself, enjoy live music, I have this question: Is there anything more pleasurable than going to see a concert by a band you know little or almost nothing about and being surprised by a bomb of energy, good vibes, interaction, commitment, and high-quality musical competence? I guess not!
The Scots Humour are what you call: A hell of a band!
They come on stage with the nonchalance of a bunch of kids and leave it with the mojo of first-rate rockers who have accomplished their mission with distinction.
The room was far from full, perhaps half capacity. Fortunate were those who left their homes on a Thursday night and headed to Maus Hábitos in Porto to welcome them.
Humour’s post-punk is contagious and electrifying. Powerful guitars, a well-marked and sustained bass, cohesive and distinctive drums, and a delirious voice. And up to this point, everything is within what one might expect from a band operating in this field.
The difference lies in the composition, the dynamics, the truth of the lyrics and the performance. Everything very well achieved and finely honed.
The agony of the riffs in the verses gives way to warm, soothing melodies in the choruses, in a kind of emotional roller coaster. This can be heard in almost every song, from Neighbours, with which they opened, through Memorial and Dirty Bread, to Plagiarist, with which they closed the concert.
The name of this band could not be more fitting. The band’s kindness and friendliness win over the audience.
In conversation with the band’s good-humoured frontman – Andreas Christodoulidis – I asked him what drives them in this world of songs. His answer was unequivocal: “We want to give the audience good songs, full of energy, good lyrics, and with that get some good feelings going. That’s what we’re here for.” If that was their intention, they achieved it even better than they imagined, because that was exactly what I witnessed.
We’ll be hearing a lot about them! 🎶
Mondo Bizarre Magazine 