Month: February 2018

words: Guilherme Lucas (freely translated by Raquel Pinheiro); still: Guilherme Lucas

Last Saturday night, the second of three artist-in-residence (the last one will be in April) of the recording process of Black Bombaim’s upcoming album took place at Palácio dos Correios do Porto. The band, I presume, intending to revitalize their sound and also its career, chose, this time, to invite artists from different musical areas, so that, together, the trio’s sound would be extended to other sound latitudes. If that is so, I think that is a very intelligent attitude and is part of the natural development of any band, especially when the status and notoriety is achieved, as in the case of Black Bombaim.

In this second artist-in-residence the guest was Luís Fernandes, connected to electroacoustic music. The event took place in the 7th floor, a wide space apparently under construction or in need of an intervention but that revealed itself as a curious and very unlikely pleasant place for this artist in residence. With free admission to 80 people, all seated in two rows of circular chairs, so that the musicians took all the centre area, I couldn’t refrain from doing an association with clinical methods of group psychotherapy, with the obvious intention of letting each viewer fixate its gaze and attention, or let it wonder into fixed points or a number of the staged set.  As far as I am concerned, it turned out to be an excellent idea; quite effective. Luís Fernandes opened the artist in residence, playing alone for about fifteen minutes.

His musical universe is electronic music of psychedelic and atmospheric character, of erratic wandering and ambient noise, of electronic modulation in the moment, between drone and what seems to be improvisation. There were very interesting moments, where the sound textures created and organized by the musician criss-crossing with more adjustment and impact. It was on this context that Black Bombaim entered the staged set, to start their demolishing performance. The performance didn’t last more than seven, eight minutes and where it was possible for me, to perceive parts of a great interconnection between the four musicians, and other moments in which I was not able at all to conclude about said interconnection.

I say it because, when Black Bombaim finished their “first” theme …the artist-in-residence was over. It was more than obvious most of the audience was left astounded by it, requesting timidly one more theme, but to no avail. The performance didn’t last more than 20-25 minutes, but considering Black Bombaim’s performance when it was starting to “heat”, it most likely didn’t reach ten minutes.

To me, it was too short a rehearsal to be able to draw conclusions of what I have been listening to, I will reserve for myself, and for latter, a more solid opinion about the band’s upcoming album as well as the video documentary about the three artist-in-residence.

 

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texto e still: Guilherme Lucas

No passado sábado à noite, consumou-se no Palácio dos Correios do Porto, a segunda residência de três (a última será em Abril), do processo de gravação do próximo álbum dos Black Bombaim. A banda, presumo com a intenção de revitalizar o seu som e também a sua carreira, optou desta vez por convidar artistas de áreas musicais diversas, para em conjunto, estender para outras latitudes sonoras o som do trio. A ser isto, acho que essa é uma atitude muito inteligente e que faz parte da evolução natural de qualquer banda, principalmente quando se atinge um estatuto de notoriedade, como é o caso dos Black Bombaim. Nesta segunda residência o músico convidado foi Luís Fernandes, ligado à música eletroacústica. O evento realizou-se no sétimo andar, num amplo espaço aparentemente em obras ou a necessitar de intervenção, mas que se revelou um curioso e muito agradável local improvável para a realização desta residência. Com entrada livre a 80 pessoas, todas elas sentadas em duas filas de cadeiras em disposição circular, de forma a que os músicos ocupassem toda a área central, não consegui deixar de fazer uma associação a métodos clínicos de psicoterapia de grupo, com a evidente intenção de deixar cada espetador fixar ou deixar vaguear o seu olhar e atenção em pontos fixos ou diversos do cenário montado. Quanto a mim, revelou-se uma excelente ideia; bem eficaz. Luís Fernandes deu início a esta residência, atuando sozinho durante perto de quinze minutos. O seu universo musical é a música eletrónica de pendor psicadélico e atmosférico, de divagação errática e de ruído ambiental, de modulação eletrónica no momento, entre o drone e o que aparenta ser improviso. Houve momentos bem interessantes, onde as texturas sonoras que o músico ia criando e organizando se entrecruzavam com mais acerto e impacto. É neste contexto que os Black Bombaim entram no cenário montado, para dar início a uma prestação demolidora. Foi uma atuação que não demorou mais do que sete, oito minutos e onde me foi possível percecionar partes de uma grande interligação entre os quatro músicos, e outros momentos em que não consegui concluir de todo quanto a essa mesma total interligação. E digo isto, pois quando os Black Bombaim acabaram de tocar o “primeiro” tema… a residência tinha terminado. Era mais do que evidente que a maioria do público ficara atónito com o facto, havendo tentativas tímidas de pedidos de mais um tema, mas em vão. A atuação não demorou mais de 20-25 minutos, mas considerando a prestação dos Black Bombaim, quando a coisa estava a “aquecer”, esta não deve ter chegado aos dez minutos. Para mim foi um ensaio demasiado curto para conseguir tirar conclusões sobre o que me foi dado ouvir, por isso reservarei para mim, e para mais tarde, uma opinião mais sólida sobre o próximo álbum da banda e também do documentário em vídeo, onde estas três residências serão o mote do mesmo.

 

 

words: Guilherme Lucas; photos: Raquel Pinheiro

Cavalheiro

 

Tulsa, a new band from Porto (at least for me) were Cavalheiro’s opening act, in a short and brief concert, however leaving very positive and pleasant impressions about their sound and project for the near future. Haunted by a North American imaginary from Charles Bukowski’s poetry to sounds that could belong to Velvet Underground and, therefore, Cowboy Junkies or Mazzy Star, the band offered us a discrete sound of a fragile lightness that, at times, ravishingly impresses, always accompanied by an excellent vocalist/voice. It is a music of silences, of word, and that needs to be listened with the necessary attention to this typology. Passos Manuel stage, with a seated audience couldn’t be a better place for it.Tulsa gave a good concert and are recomendable.Lets, therefore , wait for new episodes from this very promising band.

While I write, I remarkably notice that Cavalheiro is the Portuguese musical project that I have been following for a longer time with the special attention of an assumed fan of a well-kept (desired by me) secret, without breaks or disappointments, since (practically) the dawn of this original project by Tiago Ferreira. Had originally known him as a Veados com Fome musician, a very interesting band I liked (I saw a good concert of them at Porto-Rio some ten years ago), it was with pleasant surprise that I reacted to Cavalheiro’s appearance. Surprise, because, since the first contact with the project, I considered it completely audacious and of an uncommon beauty, with truly fabulous songs, the best that have been made in this small corner since nearly a decade. Since 2011 that I see myself, like a pilgrim, attending its albums presentation concerts, always split between Passos Manuel or Maus Hábitos, in what already looks like a tradition.

Once more, there I was, this time on the release of its latest album called Falsa Fé. Cavalheiro (Tiago Ferreira) offered the audience and excellent concert, in its informal and intelligently ironic, but very professional way. Always supported by excellent musicians, the songs were played with spot on depth and intensity. Even with several backline problems along the show, the band never let on the nervousness that could come from it. Quite the opposite, it attacked each song with enlightenment and mastery. In Cavalheiro’s discography there are always gems; sometimes more, sometimes fewer and I think the new album is at the same level of the previous ones, which is always great to note, and, in that sense it also has three or four gems for my personal taste. This to say that differente tastes are not discussed, but that everything that now happens in Cavalheiro is the logic consequence and result of an excellent Primeiro (the project’s 1st album) where the future of the present time was already there.

We love bands because, somehow, they always offer us and in time, songs that are part of the soundtrack of our life. Each one, in different styles and genres, fill moments we will never forget; they are like a perfume: enliven our memory; reminding us of past people and contexts. In the repertoire of Cavalheiro there are some songs that are definetely part of the soundtrack of my life.