Month: July 2023

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

According to Cicero’s expression that “men are like wines, age souring the bad, and bettering the good” applies with full propriety to the Melvins, as attested by their stopover in Porto, as part of the 40th Anniversary Tour. It is not the first time that the North American trio has called the turning of the hourglass to christen their tours; the 25 and 30 years of career deserve similar reference, suggesting a balance that, far from throwing them into any nostalgic bedlam, underlines the freshness displayed on stage and the musical richness of an unavoidable legacy that contaminated much of the most interesting that sprouted in the metallic territories and their substitutes, from Nirvana to Tool, through Soundgarden and Mike Patton.

With the main room of Hard Club crowded with a generous generational range of attentive ears, a far from innocent Take On Me” by A-Ah (1985) was heard as an introduction to a pedagogical and electrifying journey that revisiting albums such as the highly acclaimed Bullhead (1991), Houdini (1993) or (A)Senile Animal (2006), among other gems of their vast career. Like a magician of the decibels, Buzz Osborne wore his mystical robe in a pervasive performance, with voice and guitar in flawless symbiosis, with the melodic thunder of the prodigious accomplice of the early hours, drummer Dale Crover and the most recent acquisition (2015) by the fun and talented bassist Steven McDonald. The Melvins’ generous and well-articulated menu made the walls of a space that asked for expansion sweat in the face of the overflowing energy of an irreproachable performance that did not disappoint the audience that, by the end of the evening, only carried a single frustration, the price of the beer.

words: Marcos Leal (freely translated by Raquel Pinheiro); photos: Telma Mota

Many years went by after We Are Scientists auspicious debut album With Love And Squalor (2006) with the hit Nobody Moves, Nobody Gets Hurt. However, never reaching the success of some of their contemporary peers and, despite some albums with relative success, as time went by they lost relevance. That could be seen from the reduced human frame present at the auditorium last Wednesday night, highlighting the lost hype of yesteryear.

While having a drink and waiting for the band the doubt hovered … what would We Are Scientists had to offer in 2023?

The concert started lukewarm, but pleasantly, with a song from the new album Lobes (2023), Lucky Just To Be Here, in a way of welcoming the public from Porto who timidly approached the stage, followed by No Wait At Five Years and Contact High, more recent songs from the band’s portfolio. It was necessary to wait for the fourth song of the night to go back to the beginning of their career to listen to Great Escape, a song from their first album, which provoked quite enthusiastic reactions from the audience in theirs 30s and over, in a kind of nostalgia meeting. But, it was much more than that. From then onward it was a sequence of catchy indie songs with danceable and colorful post-punk tones, with Chris Cain’s pulsating groove basslines, the basis on which many of the band’s songs are based and which, together with Keith Murray’s guitar create excellent dynamics.

In addition to the musical sequence that oscillating between older and more recent songs, those more recent songs demonstrating the new material is very well achieved and works very well live, it was evident that more than musical and creative dynamics, the great chemistry between Chris and Keith who, between songs, did small “stand-up” sessions, in their very American way of speaking, playing and interacting with the audience, drawing reactions and smiles. Many of them animated Americans who danced and made the party and Chris thanked their presence, after thanking the Portuguese attending.

At a certain point, members of the audience offered them tonic ports because in one of those conversations between songs they praised the drink. Before the first stage exit came the band’s most successful song, Nobody Moves, Nobody Gets Hurt, which got everyone moving and singing along with the band. On the way back, they played four more songs with great energy making them move to the middle of the audience to dance – said energy delivered throughout the concert. A beautiful final stretch that dispelled any doubts that existed before the concert. We Are Scientists proved to be in excellent shape both in presence and performance, as well as creatively. A super competent and contagious concert in which the band revealed great delivery, despite the reduced audience. Clearly demonstrating that they haven’t lost the pleasure of playing and making music, even if they haven’t achieved great success. They deserved more.