Mondo Bizarre Magazine Concert Reviews

Black Lips @ Maus Hábitos, 23.11.2021 review

© Telma Mota

by Neno Costa (freely translated by Raquel Pinheiro); photos © Telma Mota

After more than a year and a half without shows, each concert without social distance and without the corporal muzzle of chairs is worthy of celebration. This was one of those moments.

Back in Portugal, the presence of the Black Lips marks a happy and awaited moment, this time at Maus Hábitos.. The house filled aficionados warmly welcomed the quintet from Atlanta. Once the stage taken, the band poured the contagious Sea of Blasphemy (Let It Bloom, 2005), a song that has been opening their concerts.

Militants of a musical honesty that dives into the happy protopunk heritage of the 60s garage bands, entwined with country-folk and whatever other references you may want to add, the indomitable Black Lips proposed a generous menu, revisiting some of their nine albums with songs like Family Tree (Arabian Mountain, 2011) warming the room.Look Here Satan (a version of 1960s Tired of Satan by the obscure Wayne, Pat & Keith) was happily preached with country sauce, followed by an electrifying Modern Art (2011) softened by the return to country-folk territory with Georgia, from the latest album Sing In a World That’s Falling Apart (2020), the most revisited during the concert.

Authentic and without stylistic pretentiousness, the Black Lips flooded the room with infectious energy, albeit without the turbulent chaos of yesteryear. As an epilogue they ended, lest anyone be fooled, with a delicious cover of Wild Man by The Tawrons (1966).

© Telma Mota

Black Lips, Maus Hábitos, 23.11.2021

por Neno Costa, fotos de Telma Mota

Depois de mais de ano e meio sem espetáculos, cada concerto sem distanciamento social e sem o açaime corporal das cadeiras é digno de celebração. Este foi um desses momentos.

Regressados a Portugal, a presença dos Black Lips assinala um momento feliz e aguardado, desta feita nos Maus Hábitos. A casa cheia de aficionados acolheu calorosamente o quinteto de Atlanta. Ocupado o palco, despejaram o contagiante Sea of Blasphemy (Let It Bloom, 2005), tema que tem inaugurado os seus concertos.

Militantes de uma honestidade musical que mergulha na herança feliz do protopunk das garage bands dos 60s, entrançada com country-folk e uma série de referências que lhes queiram acrescentar, os indomáveis Black Lips propuseram uma ementa generosa, revisitando alguns dos seus nove álbuns com canções como Family Tree (Arabian Mountain, 2011) a aquecerem a sala. Look Here Satan (versão do tema Tired of Satan, da autoria de uns obscuros Wayne, Pat & Keith, nos finais dos anos 60) foi pregado alegremente em molho country, seguido de um eletrizante Modern Art (2011) suavizado.

© Telma Mota

Mondo Bizarre Magazine Amazing Sounds & Other Delights, Mixcloud, Radio Show, YéYé Radio

Amazing Songs & Other Delights #14 -The Gentle, Folk, Autumnal edition by Raquel Pinheiro mixcloud

This edition could also be called The Family, Friends, Acquaintances & Muses Edtion since there are 16 songs by family members, friends, acquaintances and muses as in musicians/singer-songwriters I get inspiration from/inspire me. There are also a few instrumentals with different acoustic string instruments, such as acoustic/classic guitar, banjo, and viola campaniça a tradicional Portuguese 10 steel-string instrument from Vila Verde de Ficalho, Serpa (Alentejo), here played by O Gajo, in a modern approach embedded with our folk tradition. The tone of the show is mellow, covers also have its place, Bill Callahan’s cover of Leonard Cohen’s So Long Marianne, Isabel Silvestre singing Rui Veloso & Carlos Tê’s A Gente Não Lê in a fashion that would lead to believe this is an old Portuguese folk song, yet, it is from the early 80s. Karen Dalton, Tim Kerr, Nuno Prata, Townes Van Zandt and others contribute to a beautiful show.

Tracklist:
01 – Isabel Silvestre – A Gente Não Lê (Rui Veloso & Carlos Tê cover)
02 – Bill Rivers & Simon Hayward – To Each
03 – Erica Buettner -True Love and Water
04 – João Canedo – Calcanhar do Mundo
05 – Bernard Butler – I’m Tired (1998 version)
06 – O Gajo – Há uma Festa Aqui ao Lado
07 – Karen Dalton – Take Me
08 – Oblivion Orchestra – High / Low
09 – Nuno Prata – Um Dia Não São Dias Não
10 – Bill Callahan – So Long Marianne (Leonard Cohen’s cover)
11 – Silver&Scout – Swirling Slope
12 – Raoul Vignal – Red Fresco
13 – Tim Kerr – Last Chance
14 – Rui Gaio – everyday 032: Leonardo
15 – The Stranglers – And If You Should See Dave…
16 – Townes Van Zandt – Waiting Round To Die

Mondo Bizarre Magazine Amazing Sounds & Other Delights, Radio Show, YéYé Radio

Amazing Songs & Other Delights #14 -The Gentle, Folk, Autumnal edition by Raquel Pinheiro

The 14th Amazing Songs & Other Delights is called The Gentle, Folk, Autumnal edition and airs tomorrow, Monday 22nd, 3-4pm (London time) on Yé Yé radio: https://yeyeradio.com/ (or on the app). It could also be also be called The Family, Friends, Acquaintances & Muses Edtion since there are 16 songs by family members, friends, and muses as in musicians/singer-songwriters I get inspiration from/inspire me. One of those is Karen Dalton. Interestingly, the documentary Karen Dalton: In My Own Time by Richard Peete, Robert Yapkowtiz is shown tomorrow here in Porto at Porto/Post/Doc. There will be songs by Nuno Prata, Bill Callahan or Isabel Silvestre and a couple of instrumentals.

24 to 48 hours later the show will be on mixcloud: https://www.mixcloud.com/infoyeye | https://www.mixcloud.com/raquelpinheiro/ All previous shows can be found there.

(photo © Raquel Pinheiro)