Author: Mondo Bizarre Magazine

Even Experimentalists Dance!

words: Raquel Pinheiro; photos: Telma Mota

First and foremost, our heartfelt apologies to Pavarotti III for have missed the performance. Pavarotti III is Sonoscopia’s canary and was going to present festival goes with glorious bird singing in the garden. We also didn’t saw Em Charme and Tren Go! Sound System.

We arrived on time to seat on the floor of the concert room and catch Vincent Martial playing his flute in the concert room of Summer’s smallest festival. Only 99 people, and one canary, allowed. Maltial’s flute is used in a mix of contemporary language with traits of ancient sounds. A nice beginning of our musical day.

Next was Farida Amadou, on the backyard stage, using her bass, pedals, drum sticks, mallets, to create for expressing something that, in a way, is lost on the listener. Why? It is a very personal use and interpretation of what, from this side, seem to be ways of addressing feelings, emotions, world events.background. If that is so, only Farida can answer.

And now we’re on one of the most upbeat, funny, entertaining gigs ever: Manu Louis, with his guitar, synth, electronics, voice combo of happiness, wrapped in a white bathrobe, playing outside and inside Sonoscopia’s bathroom, to which he would retreat now and then, leaving us with his silhouette and voice. What a riot! So much joy, dancing and humour! Such great songs. A much needed counterpoint to the sombreness and seriousness and more left field experimentalism from before, perfect for a hot, sunny, late Summer afternoon.

Harrga (Dali de St. Paul and Miguel Prado, here with Dali only) follows on the concert room. Harrga is harsh. Loud. Almost too extreme, too too much for the space where the performance happens. There is a message being tried to be brought across. An angry, in extremis one, sort of lost. Maybe the idea is to stir up some action in the audience? The distorted, loud vocals and sounds do not allow to comprehend much of what is being shouted. Besides we’re seat on the floor, not pogoing. Then, the musical landscape changes, to an almost church like music level. The words become more perceptible, but still elude.

Dinner break. The communal meal is taken in the patio and garden, encompassed by nightfall.

Back inside we’re in the hands, and sounds, of percussionist Camille Émaille. There is a labour of love here. A meticulous, affable, strong, unxepected way of working with the various percussive instruments. We’re entering the domain of transcendence. Or so it seemed as it was, or looked like it, cut short. Were did time went? If flew by.

Time to go rest on a chair at the bar-gear room and marvel at the boxes with extraordinary, ordinary, objects. Until a last return to the concert room for Los Caballos de Dusseldorf light, image and sound show.

Los Caballos de Dusseldorf build their own funny instruments, the doorags (named after Arizona’s lo-fi blues duo Doo Rag) from toys and other devices which circuits’ are modified. Circuity bending is an art form and Los Caballos de Dusseldorf mastered it with a childlike musicality that matches their way of dress, their concept, wrapped in curious and appealing visuals.

Another rest, another marvel at the gear boxes at the bar-gear room.

The final act is in the garden. Drummer and percussionist Steve Hubback, under the lit trees, takes us further into the transcendent trip started by Camille Émaille. Most of us are in the dark, on the adjacent yard, separated from the “stage” by a low, thin wall that allows to see, or almost see, what is being played. What is being played is much more to be felt than to be seen. At least, that is how it was for me.

At a point I opened my eyes and though four drumsticks? Two at a hand? Nope, turns out it were five drumsticks. Don’t ask me how. Steve holds the answer. I can tell it each time Steve does something different and there is no point going to see him thinking it may be this or that or those. Oh, right, back to the transcendence, which is where I was when Steve’s performance ended. It was shamanic, otherworldly. A Summer’s night dream and elation.

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

Londoners Alaskalaska debuted in Portugal last Saturday Night in a single date on Hard Club, in Porto.

The wait for the concert, scheduled for 9:30pm, but starting about10pm with an unannounced opening act, was spent between drinks, cigarettes and conversation. As a warm-up, Black Sombrero, from Gaia, played some songs characterized by a more direct rock sound in the vein of Queens of the Stone Age or Foo Fighters. They were well received by the audience that made them feel welcome, despite some errors in the execution of the songs, taken with ease.

One more cigarette and a drink while waiting for Alaskalaska. The quintet, formerly a sextet presented their album Still Life (2022) opening with Growing Up Pains (Unni’s Song). The song, with a beginning and slow progression served as a good introduction for what was to follow. Alaskalaska has members with a background in pop and jazz and their sound comes from this combination of different influences described by themselves “art dream-pop”. From what war heard, they’re not far from the description.

The concert was mild, but engaging in its jazz-infused pop and R&B touches, never boring, never predictable. Without major interruptions or interactions with the audience Alaskalaska maintained a great performance, proving to be very good live. In the short interventions between songs, due to the declared shyness of vocalist Lucinda whose father said he was Portuguese, she said she was very happy to play for the first time in Porto and to thank the way the whole band was received by the concert promoter.

After a setlist includedind songs from their two original albums in which main singles, such as Rise And Shine and Monster and Pressure could not be left out, Lucinda announces the last song of the night, Still Life, the title track of their new album. An announcement that provoked a reaction from the public signalling they wanted more.

Still Life, a song that made those attending dance, was the farewell to Porto’s audience. As Lucinda had said, “was a good one”.

Lucinda, John-Duarte, Fraser Rieley and Co., left under claps from an audience waiting a never happened encore.