Month: May 2022

words: Raquel Pinheiro: photos: José Belém

Some things are well worth waiting for. Einstürzende Neubauten are one of those. After a two years delay – for reasons sadly too well-known of all – the band is back on the road. Finally, presenting Alles in Allem their latest album, along with songs from other eras. The Year of the Rat tour became The Year of the Tiger tour and they do mighty roar.

Einstürzende Neubauten are a band both oiled, like an orchestra of wonders with standard and custom-build instruments that plays with perfect ease, as well as still infused by all the special creativeness and boldness that makes them unique.

From Alexander Hacker’s bass, that leads, punctuates, grooves, halts with mastery, to those purpose-build or repurposed instruments, like the supermarket cart, the bin, the pump, the many special percussion objects, rhythm, flow, melody spring from. Blixa Bargeld ’s voice stands clear, among all that. The singer’s Sprechgesang often, if not most times, adding to the cadence of the music.

In good spirits Blixa addresses the audience a few times, explaining song titles and the story or details behind those and the lyrics. He is particularly humorous when the metal bow that Alexander Hacker plays suffers a malfunction. Will it be possible to play the song (Ten Grand Goldie)? Will it not? While Blixa engages the audience, the engineers manage to solve the matter and the band re-starts the song.

From Wedding, the opening song, conducted by Alexander’s bass tones, to Susej, right before the Neubauten leave the stage, we are guided in a room-road-trip of sound and words landscapes from loving and warm to chilled and catastrophic. Sound intensity is expertly managed by Neubauten. They drive us to musical heights, just to leave us at the edge of the abyss, if not truly inside it, even if briefly, in a constant display of creativeness and how to keep an audience on its toes.

The sound crescendos are astonishing, the stops, the silences, silence really is sexy, and troubling and, like percussion, groove and tremble sounds, can run through our spine and leave us shaken, amazed, in love.

Alles in Allem was played in its entirety, its ten songs making for nearly half the concert with Grazer Damm being sung in English and Taschen and Tempelhof being left for the encore. When Neubauten left, after Susej, the end was not the end. It was just a pause, filled with a clapping standing audience, as they would return, not once, but twice.

The usage of different languages, offers another level of dynamics, inflections, textures. I recall, a good while ago, when interviewing Blixa, that, at the time, he was interested in how a person voice changes depending of spoken language. It is so, our voice does mutate depending of the language we’re speaking/singing in.

Aside from Alles in Allem songs there was Nagorby Karabach and the aforementioned Susej fom Alles wieder offen (2007); Die Befindlichkeit des Landes and Sonnenbarke from Silence is Sexy (2000) in which Alexander’s bass shines deep; How Did I Die? from Lament (2014), Rampe from 2005-05-28: 25th Anniversary Tour and the ultimate finale with Redukt also from Silence Is Sexy.

In the beginning there was rhythm could be applied to Einstürzende Neubauten. To many, they are still known, and seen, as a noisy, industrial, groveless band. However, rhythm was always there. Yes, sharper, much more crude and harsh early on, nevertheless, rhythm. Now, the ensemble – currently six on stage – is more polished, but don’t overtrust, you may still be blasted with some very acute frequencies and outbursts of frantic percussion, and rhythm, gentle, furious, mellow, vibrant, maniac, romantic, is everywhere. On those full, ever present bass lines, on the thousand percussion ways Neubauten use, on the voice and lyrics. It may even be present on the guitar. Of course, there is also melody. And melancholy. Rhythm, percussion, melody, melancholy were all perfectly expressed in the beautiful Redukt. A more poetic and emotional closing must be hard to find.

As for the blue in, it really should have been yellow, bold and blunt, Herr Blixa. Not only is yellow my favourite colour it would have looked amazing on the stage.

Willkommen zurück, meine Herren. Es war mir wieder eine Freude, Ihnen zuzuhören!

words: Paulo Carmona (freely translated by Raquel Pinheiro); photos: Hiliana Silva Melo

If someone really wants to know what indie alternative rock’n’roll is, in its purest and most direct state, without subterfuge and blunt, it’s simple! go see a White Lies concert and all your doubts will be dispelled.

On the 17th of May, Sala 1 of Hard Club was properly prepared to receive the British band that presented themselves to their, it most be said, faithful and dedicated audience. And with all the energy and dedication that can be demanded of professionals in the field, White Lies did not disappoint the expectations of their followers.

They started with Fairgraound leading the room to delirium. What a nice way to start a concert. If its to enjoy , lets go! In order not to lose the rhythm, the following followed: There Goes Our love Again, Am I Really Going to Die and to set the room on fire To Lose My Life. I also couldn’t hold it either and, what else was left for me to do, start shaking my head to the super rhythmic sound of this wonderful song. The entire room was singing the chorus in unison. How cool!

The band plays well with a strong and cohesive rhythm section, on a bed made by the synthesizers, and mainly, with the spaces and silences. The vocals navigate comfortably and resounding in the stanzas well marked by the bass and drums and fires in the strong and melodic choruses with the guitar very present. It’s a foolproof recipe. However, it is also extremely well-done by the White Lies.

To calm the horde Hurt My Heart, Time to Give followed. This song has a beautiful and ravishing keyboard, very nostalgic. If you have has ears, listen to it.

They fired again not forgetting Tokyo and Mars. They left the stage without much space to breath because the audience simply wouldn’t let it happen. To end in beauty, the encore brought Death, As I Try Not To Fall Apart and finally, Bigger Than Us.

Could more be asked? Maybe yes, but it wouldn’t be fair! Great band.

texto: Paulo Carmona; fotos: Hiliana Silva Melo

Quando alguém quiser saber o que é, de facto, Alternative Indie Rock’n’Roll de qualidade, no seu estado mais puro e direto, sem subterfúgios e sem rodeios, é simples! Vá ver um concerto dos White Lies e todas as dúvidas se dissiparão.

No passado dia 17 de maio a sala 1 do hard club estava bem preparada para receber os britânicos que se apresentaram ao seu público, fiel e dedicado, diga-se em abono da verdade. E com toda a energia e dedicação que se pode exigir a profissionais do ramo, os White Lies não defraudaram as expectativas do seu séquito.

Começam logo abrir com Fairgraound levando a sala ao delírio. Que bela maneira de iniciar um espetáculo. Se é para curtir, siga! Para não perder o ritmo, seguiu-se logo: There Goes Our love Again, Am I Really Going to Die e para pegar logo fogo à sala, To Lose My Life. Também eu não me aguentei à bronca e, que remédio, toca a abanar a cabeça ao som super ritmado deste maravilhoso tema. Toda a sala cantava o refrão em uníssono. Que cool!

Esta banda joga bem com a secção rítmica, forte e coesa, com a cama feita pelos sintetizadores, e principalmente, com os espaços e silêncios. A voz navega confortável e sonante nas estrofes bem marcadas pelo baixo e bateria e dispara nos refrões fortes e melódicos com a guitarra bem presente. É uma receita infalível. Só que também muitíssimo bem feita pelos White Lies.

Seguiram-se Hurt My Heart, Time to Give para acalmar as hostes. Este tema tem um teclado lindíssimo e arrebatador, muito nostálgico. Quem tiver ouvidos, oiça.

Voltaram à carga sem esquecer Tokyo e Mars. Saem do palco sem grande espaço para descansar porque o público simplemente, não deixou. O encore trouxe Death, As I Try Not To Fall Apart e por fim, Bigger Than Us, para acabar em beleza.

Podia-se pedir mais? Se calhar sim, mas não seria justo! Grande banda.

Three tempi metal

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

The performances of Black Wizards, MaidaVale and Earthless at Hard Club gave everyone who filled Sala 2 with a very interesting and rewarding sample of some metal trends.

1. The Black Wizards

An auspicious start by Black Wizards in an electrifying, head-swinging performance. Joana Brito’s (guitar/vocals) band, the returning Helena Peixoto (drums) and the newly integrated José Roberto (bass), the latter with a history of collaborative complicity with band from Barcelos, interpreted themes from a discography that has revealed a progressive maturation. Black Wizards played a full-bodied concert with much of the best that the metal menu has to offer in creative syntheses and incendiary riffs, colored by the fuzz sounds of the 70s, without abdicating their own personality, to which increasingly confident of Joana Brito’s voice and the virtuosity of José Roberto aren’t alien.

2. MaidaVale

For lovers of female rock sounds from the early 70s, Swedish MaidaVale did not disappointed, presenting on stage a consistent performance in which the psychedelic affiliation was assumed in a fluid and sometimes involving tone, seasoned with funky phrases, fuzz textures and stoner evocations. The band has been acquiring greater solidity, attested by their album Madness is Too Pure (2018) – that was the main source of the repertoire -, detaching itself from a certain predictability of Tales Of The Wicked West. We are before an interesting band to which Matilda Roth’s voice lends a particular personality, with a solid instrumental body, with virtuoso strings with controlled voltage (Sofia Ström), highlighting the creative articulation of the drums (Johanna Hansson) and bass (Linn Johansson), with refreshing and groovy melodic lines announced early on with Trance, Oh Hysteria! or Walk in Silence, themes from their latest album, attesting to the band’s greater refinement confirmed by the performance in Porto.

3. Earthless (Mario Rubalcaba, drums; Isaiah Mitchell, guitar; Mike Eginton, bass)

The Much awaited Californian trio Earthless provided an appreciable musical journey, both for the duration of the songs that make up their latest album Night Parade of One Thousand Demons and for their quality, confirming them as excellent composers in the realm of psychedelic heavy metal. A sound narrative inspired by a Japanese legend from which they took the title of their last album, Earthless unleasehd the demons, driving emotions through the cohesive and virtuous instrumental progression, the long descriptive solos and riffs that echo the references of the best metal, krautrock jazzy even, in an immaculate stage performance that ended, as an encore, with Cherry Red, the 2007 theme (Rhythms From a Cosmic Sky) in which Isaiah Mitchell’s voice emerges, surprisingly – and captivating – redesigning the sound of band.

Metal a três tempos

texto: Neno Costa; fotos: Telma Mota

As atuações de Black Wizards, MaidaVale e Earthless no Hard Club proporcionaram a todos quantos lotaram a sala 2 uma amostra muito interessante e recompensadora de algumas das tendências metálicas.

1. The Black Wizards

Abertura auspiciosa com Black Wizards numa atuação eletrificante de baloiçar cabeças. A banda de Joana Brito(guitarra/voz), da regressada Helena Peixoto (bateria) e do recém integrado José Roberto (baixo), este último com um histórico de cumplicidades colaborativas com a banda de Barcelos, interpretaram temas de uma discografia que tem revelado um amadurecimento progressivo. (A)os Black Wizards deram um concerto bem encorpado com muito do melhor que o cardápio metálico tem para oferecer em sínteses criativas e riffs incendiários, tingido pelas sonoridades fuzz dos 70s, sem abdicarem de uma personalidade própria, à qual não são alheias a voz cada vez mais segura de Joana Brito e o virtuosismo de José Roberto.

0. MaidaVale

Para os apreciadores das sonoridades femininas do rock dos inícios dos anos 70, as suecas MaidaVale não terão desapontado, apresentando em palco uma atuação consistente onde a filiação psicadélica foi assumida num tom fluído e por vezes envolvente, temperada com frases funky, texturas fuzz e evocações stoner. A banda tem vindo a adquirir maior solidez, atestada pelo seu álbum Madness is Too Pure (2018) – que ocupou a maior parte do reportório-, descolando-se de uma certa previsibilidade de Tales Of The Wicked West (2016). Estamos perante uma banda interessante à qual a voz de Matilda Roth empresta uma personalidade particular, com um corpo instrumental sólido, com cordas virtuosas de voltagem controlada (Sofia Ström), destacando-se a articulação criativa da bateria (Johanna Hansson) e do baixo (Linn Johansson), com linhas melódicas refrescantes e groovy anunciadas logo desde início com Trance, Oh Hysteria! ou Walk in Silence, temas do seu último álbum, atestando maior refinamento à banda que a atuação no Porto confirmou.

0. Earthless

Muito aguardados, o trio norte-americano Earthless proporcionou uma viagem musical apreciável, quer pela duração dos temas que compõem o seu último álbum “Night Parade of One Thousand Demons”, quer pela qualidade dos mesmos, confirmando-os como compositores exímios do universo do heavy metal psicadélico. Narrativa sonora inspirada numa lenda japonesa à qual foram buscar o título do seu último álbum, os Earthless libertaram os demónios, conduzindo as emoções através da progressão instrumental coesa e virtuosa, dos longos solos descritivos e riffs onde ecoam as referências do melhor metal, krautrock e até jazzísticas, num desempenho imaculado em palco que terminou, em jeito de encore, com Cherry Red, tema de 2007 (Rhythms From a Cosmic Sky) no qual a voz de Isaiah Mitchell emerge, redesenhando de forma surpreendente – e cativante – a sonoridade da banda.

words: Paulo Carmona (freely tanslated by Raquel Pinheiro); photos: Hiliana Silva Melo

A recital of beautiful melodies. With this small and simple sentence I could describe Tindersticks’ concert at Coliseu, in Porto.

This phenomenon is not for every band. The members of Tindersticks practically did not move on stage, except to change instruments. However, at every second it was felt in the air that they were feeling their music like no one else in the room. They put all they had as creators and musicians in every note, in every riff, in every segment – that’s a large part of whom they are.

Unbridled talent and brilliant execution of the songs, one after another.

In a set-list of more than 20 songs the band won over the audience, setting (an almost full) room on fire several times that at each performed song was already there.

They stared with Willow, A Night So Still, Medicine and She’s Gone in which the guest musicians that accompanied the core of the band, led by the charismatic Stuart Staples, appeared on stage and soon after Her, the orchestra made its entrance. On several occasions, the Coliseu stage had more than 15 musicians performing. Tindersticks are already overly melodic, but with orchestration it becomes epic. Any song could be a movie soundtrack of the highest level. A luxury.

Another Night In, City Sickness, My Sister, Johnny Guitar, My Obvlivian, Show Me, Sometimes It Hurts, Harmony and For The Beauty, among many others, were also played. We were entitled to two encores exponentially requested by the audience that didn’t stop nor got tired of standing up. It was touching. I can imagine how it was for the musicians. And there were reasons for that. Stuart Staples’ incomparable voice packs all that alternative indie rock into a slow or moderately haughty cadence.

texto: Paulo Carmona (freely tanslated by Raquel Pinheiro); fotos: Hiliana Silva Melo

Um recital de belas melodias. E podia com esta pequena e singela frase descrever este concerto dos Tindersticks no coliseu do Porto.

Este fenómeno não é para qualquer banda. Os elementos dos Tindersticks praticamente não se movimentam em palco, a não ser para trocar de instrumentos. Todavia, a cada segundo se sentia no ar que eles estavam a sentir a sua música como ninguém mais naquela sala. Depositam em cada nota, em cada riff, em cada segmento, tudo de si enquanto criadores e músicos, e isso, é muito do que eles são. Talento desmedido e execução brilhante dos temas, um após outro.

Num set-line com mais de 20 canções, conquistaram o público, que já o estaria, a cada canção interpretada levando a sala (quase cheia) ao rubro por diversas vezes.

Começaram com Willow, A Night So Still, Medicine e She’s Gone em que surgiram em palco os elementos convidados que acompanhavam o núcleo duro da banda liderada pelo carismático Stuart Staples e logo após Her, a orquestra entra em palco. Por diversas vezes o palco do coliseu chegou a ter mais de 15 músicos a atuar. Tindersticks já é sobejamente melódico, mas com orquestração torna-se épico. Qualquer música daria para banda sonora de cinema ao mais alto nível. Um luxo.

Não faltaram Another Night In, City Sickness, My Sister, Johnny Guitar, My Obvlivian, Show Me, Sometimes It Hurts, Harmony e For The beauty entre muitas outras. Tivemos direito a 2 encores exponencialmente solicitados pelo público que não parava e não se cansava de aplaudir de pé. Chegou a ser comovente. Imagino para os músicos. E havia motivos para tal. A incomparável voz de Stuart Staples embala todo aquele indie rock alternativo em cadência lenta ou moderadamente altivo.

Isto não é para quem quer, é para quem pode. E pode porque vive a música pela música e esse amor em forma de melodia transborda para o mundo compactado em sons com que se fazem as canções.