words: Neno Costa (Freely Translated by Raquel Pinheiro); photos: Telma Mota
New York City based Californian sextet Chk Chk Chk (!!!) returned to Porto, bringing in their luggage, among other musical wanderings, their latest album Let It Be Blue (2022). Opening with This Is Pop 2, a manifesto for the pleasure of uncompromised and easily absorbed rhythms. The celebration of hedonism continued with A Little Bit, Panama, Bang … until culminating in one of the most interesting versions R.E.M.’s Man On The Moon, underlining the creative and irreverent drive of Chk!Chk!Chk!
Finely tuned dance music with funk guitars over a powerful and syncopated bass, samplers and synths, interwoven with the breadth and vocal power of Meah Pace and the grace and passion of Nic Offer several times oozing from the stage into the audience. Contagious rhythm, intense and fluid performance, groove of the best vintages and Chk Chk Chk embodied one of the best performances of this musical year.
O sexteto californiano, radicado em NY, Chk Chk Chk (!!!) retornou ao Porto trazendo o seu último álbum Let It Be Blue (2022) na bagagem, entre outras deambulações musicais. Abertura com This Is Pop 2, um manifesto ao prazer dos ritmos descomprometidos e de fácil absorção. A celebração do hedonismo prosseguiu com A Little Bit, Panama , Bang…até desembocar numa das versões mais interessantes de Man On The Moon, dos R.E.M., sublinhando a pulsão criativa e irreverente dos Chk!Chk!Chk!
Música de dança bem apurada, com guitarras funk sobre baixo potente e sincopado, samplers e sintetizadores, entretecidas com a amplitude e potência vocal de Meah Pace e a graça e a paixão de Nic Offer a escorrer do palco para o meio do público por diversas vezes. Ritmo contagiante, actuação intensa e fluida, groove das melhores colheitas, os Chk Chk Chk deram corpo a uma das melhores actuações deste ano musical.
On Thursday night Portuguese band Desert’s Smoke opened for the mythical The Obsessed. The room was still far from being filled, but those who attended got a good dose of powerful riffs and psychedelics in a formula that forced the audience to shake their heads, proving once again that they are one of the most interesting proposals within the Portuguese stoner and psychedelic rock world. Their concert, lasting about half an hour, was a good warm-up for the night’s headliners who strolled through the room, although some preferred to wait on the esplanade for the night’s main band.
When the time for the start of the concert arrived, The Obsessed entered the stage without delay, into an already better audience appointed room, but which, surprisingly, was not sold out, being the national debut of this historic American band with more than 40 years of career.
The Obsessed came back to be in 2016, with Scott ‘Wino’ Weinrich the only original and founding member of the band, currently accompanied by Brian Costantino on drums, Chris Angleberger on bass and Jason Taylor on rhythm guitar – band members later introduced during the concert – and Wino on vocals and guitar.
Those who went to see The Obsessed would not leave surprised, much less disappointed. The Obsessed delivered what was expected of them, old school doom metal, stoner rock and even upbeat rhythms of an almost punk rock nature that kept the audience in a growing frenzy until the end of the concert, presenting a good catalog of themes that explored the vast repertoire of the band from Maryland, United States, that even managed to present a couple of songs from a new album announced by the band to be released next year.
In the end, the band seems to have left satisfied with the visit to Porto stage, with Wino having said at one point that he was having a good time with Porto’s audience, who responded affirmatively and who, after the concert, rushed to the merch stand to support and salute the band.
words: Marcos Leal (editing by Raquel Pinheiro); photos: Marcos Leal
Tuesday, by the end of the day, mild temperature in the air and on arrival at CCOP it was made clear that the night was going to be warm, with people already crowding up in the street, at the entrance drinking a beer and smoking a cigarette before going up the stairs leading to the auditorium.
While waiting for Sessa and company to enter the Stage, a good part of the audience already present was waiting sitting on the floor, while others went to get a drink to refresh their bodies in an environment that was already guessing hot and that the large air conditioner on one side of the room could not be enough to soften, despite opening a clearing, such was the wind that came out of it.
On stage, hanging from the ceiling, three pieces of rectangular fabric with images reminding the visual imagery of the 2022 album Estrela Acesa that Sessa is presenting on this tour.
Announced the beginning of the concert by the usual voice recording, the public stands up and applauds the entrance of Sessa and company who take their places in the respective instruments. Sessa sits in the center on a small chair where he remained cross-legged with his guitar during the concert.
The first chords were for Estrela Acesa, the title song of Sessa’s new record. A serene start, as a large part of the concert would be. The sessa music breathes the sea and calm of the late summer afternoon, like a light breeze that, despite the heat in the room, refreshed the soul.
Sessa, Sergio Sayeg’s artistic name, of few words, but always with serenity and sweetness in the voice showing a certain naivety and timidity, highlighting how good it is to play in Portugal with an audience that shares the same language. As he spoke, smiles could be seen from the band and the audience and sighs could be heard between exclamations like “Oh…it’s so sweet…”, “Oh…it’s so cute…”.
After the third song Pele de Esfera, Sessa said the first words to thank and introduce the band that accompanies him on drums, acoustic bass and voice.The concert continued between songs from the two edited works, focusing on the last one, where the Brazilian musical heritage is notorious, from influencial artists like Caetano or Gal from the golden times of tropicália and pop soaked in samba that makes the bodies sway lightly, and with punctual moments of psychedelia .
At one point in the concert, Sessa alone on stage plays two cover songs ‘Quién te Viera’ by Eduardo Mateo and ‘Flor de Maracujá’ by João Donato, then returning to his repertoire with Dor Fodida.
The concert did not end without an encore with three songs Tanto, Língua Geral and Grandeza with which the band said goodbye with thanks, applause, smiles and the feeling of having lived a tender moment.
words: Neno Costa (freely translated by Raquel Pinheiro); photos: Telma Mota
The Haunted Youth debuted in Porto, promoting mostly songs from their first album Dawn of the Freak (2022). At the first chords of Broken the landscape was populated with butterflies in the armpits and chewing gum on the hips celebrating a late adolescence that flew over the course of an hour, to the delight of the audience that rushed to M.O.U.C.O.
Haunted Youth’s music has the haunting success formulas with the guitars evolving into easily digestible melodic riffs, in a dream-pop affiliation that Joachim Liebens’ voice and Anne Smets’ keyboards accentuate, auguring an update of the menus of the nearest dance-floors. An example of the above was the song Gone, referring to a possible holiday soundtrack for a convertible. The Belgian quintet presented a cohesive, well-articulated and relaxed posture on stage, revealing mastery on the art of sound pastry, although stumbling upon a poor lyrical construction, which could be taken from the margins of a school notebook, sometimes in clear contrast with the melodic marzipan (e.g. Fell Like Shit).
All in all, a cute and delicious indie waiting for further maturation.
Os Haunted Youth fizeram a sua estreia no Porto, promovendo essencialmente músicas do seu primeiro álbum Dawn of the Freak (2022). Aos primeiros acordes de Broken, a paisagem povoou-se com borboletinhas nos sovacos e pastilha elástica nas ancas celebrando uma adolescência tardia, escorrendo ao longo de uma hora, para gáudio da assistência que acorreu ao M.O.U.C.O.
A música dos Haunted Youth tem a assombração das fórmulas de sucesso com as guitarras evoluindo em riffs melódicos de fácil digestão, numa filiação dream-pop que a voz de Joachim Liebens e as teclas de Anne Smets acentuam, augurando uma atualização das ementas das pistas de dança mais próximas. Exemplo do exposto foi a canção Gone, remetendo para uma possível banda sonora de férias para descapotável. O quinteto belga apresentou em palco uma postura coesa, bem articulada e descontraída, revelando domínio da arte da pastelaria sonora, embora tropeçando numa construção lírica pobre, que podia ser retirada das margens de um caderno escolar, por vezes em evidente contraste com o maçapão melódico (e.g. Fell Like Shit).
Feitas as contas, fica um indie fofinho e delicodoce à espera de melhor maturação.
words:Telma Mota (freely translated by Raquel Pinheiro); photos: Telma Mota
Last Saturday the second anniversary of Sonoscopy took place in Porto in its new home, now more spacious and pleasant, located at Rua Silva Porto. This association, which since the 1990s has been committed to boosting collective spaces and creating and presenting concerts, dedicated this anniversary event to experimental and improvised music for which interesting names in the field were invited.
The event started with Andrew Levine, currently residing in Hamburg. Levine presented an improvised set for a room still half filled, based on a curious set of instruments ranging from the theremin, one of the first electronic instruments completely controlled by dancing hands, a cracklebox, generating unusual sounds from 6 metallic buttons and a modular synthesizer, rich in producing inspiring tingles. Arlt, a pleasant surprise composed by Canadian Eloise Decazes and Frenchman Florian Caschera (known as Sing Sing) followed who presenting their most recent album Turnetable.This record challenges the romantic “French song” with experimental notes, almost circus-like sounds and pre-recorded folk musical pieces on nostalgic cassettes. Singing sweetly and captivatingly, the duo rocked the already crowded room with their charm and talent. They started the show with the melancholic 2012 song Tu m´as encore crevé un cheval and ended with two older themes Soleil enculé and the emotional De haut em bas. In between, the melodies of the new album following one another, enthusiastically accompanied on the guitar by Sing Sing and sprinkled with the noise of concertinas, the playing of plastic keyboards and the hum of other common objects that Eloise mixes so well with her naif voice.Arlt delighted the audience that aplauded and prolonged the moment with pleasure.
This was followed by a break for dinner kindly offered by the organization as an integral part of the Sonoscopic experience.
After this moment of tranquility and conviviality, thunder struck Marcia Bassett, a New Yorker who is a reference in the underground world presented a black collage, dense and rich in improvised sounds, accompanied by the Swiss Ursula Scherrer on the projections, created from fabric textures and leaves captured by a camera. Nestled on the floor, they enveloped people in an electronic sound whirlwind of influences, noise, drone and many more nameless odors. From an impressive modular synthesizer with fingerboard and pieces of nature, Marcia offered a total immersive experience full of restlessness.
Closing the anniversary Frantz Loriot (violin), Marina Tantanozi (flutes) and Philipp Eden (piano and objects) trio performed a free and elegant improvisation. The piano, full of soft murmurs and intense awakenings, accompanied by the flute where vigorous blows and full-bodied sound blows followed one another, all involved by a disturbing violin, now in tune, now intentionally irritated with reality. They massaged and scratched the instruments with affection and excitement in a conversation rich in phrases full of content.
To celebrate the 49th anniversary of 25 de Abril Aveiro’s section of Associação José Afonso (AJA) organized an intimate late afternoon concerto with singer-songwriter-double bassist Miguel Callaz.
I was unfamiliar with both Miguel Callaz and Banda Amizade a local cultural association and philharmonic band that dates at least from 1834. All I knew from have taken a look at and AJ’s advert was that it was going to be a double bass concert. The double bass being the electric bass older, acoustic brother the event was right up my alley. Nothing like venturing into the unknown to be pleasantly surprised in every way.
Double bass, like electric bass is not played, but felt. Many people play one or both, few feel it. Miguel Callaz feels it, lives it, breathes it. As he says “this instrument that, to me, has no beginning or ending.” Solo double bass can be thought as a boring, extremely academic performance without margin for emotions, for the soul filling human touch. Nothing of the sort was gifted to us.
Miguel Callaz presented a mix of his second solo album Contra: Contemporânea Tradição (Contra: Contemporary Tradition) of revised and transposed to double bass and voice as well as to a more modern language traditional songs from Beira Baixa and Trás-os-Montes, and a few, hand chosen songs from Portuguese singer-songwriters matching the occasion.
Traditional songs originally for voice or voice and adufe (a quadrangular or rectangular traditional Portuguese percussion instrument of Moorish origin) like Moda de São João, Senhora do Almortão, Moda de Ceifa, O Bento Airoso and others remaining easily recognizable, transmute and change with the beautiful artistry of Miguel’s playing and singing bringing them us in a new manner that retains their essence. The words, as is often, if not always, the case in traditional and folk songs, are of utmost importance “the hidden truths contained within traditional songs”. They are also timeless even if the stories told are from a mostly gone rural or manual labour world.
The singer-sonwriters chosen were José Afonso, born in Aveiro in 1929, whose song Grandola Vila Morena (not part of the concert reportoire) was one of the signals of the military coup of April’s 24th/25th 1974 that lead to the end of the dictatorship, a symbol the resistence, fight for freedom, usage of our traditional song books – he too sang Senhora do Almortão -, and one of our greatest artists; Sérgio Godinho /Que Força é Essa), José Mário Branco (Inquietação) with the double bass and the voice translating the restleness (inquietação), Fausto (Foi por Ela), Adriano Correia de Oliveira (Canção com Lágrimas). To tie the performance song half José Music (music) and traditional (lyrics) Tu Gitana – a XVI century song part of Elvas song book – that will be part of Miguel Callaz’s new album.
I saved the bass playing in itself for latter. Because, last is not least. And, in this particular case, truly not least. Without getting too tech bass geek, there is a uniqueness, a singularity, in Miguel’s playing. Drawing from jazz, masterly, but not eletistiscally, diving deep into our folklore to bring its rhythms, its flow to a way of multiusing the double bass. It is a marvel to look at Miguel’s hands as they finger, and pluck, and tap the body of the double bass and when the fingers pluck above the fingering hand down the fingerboard right there, close, close to the terminus of the fingerboard (on a bass/double bass finger or fretboard down is up and up is down).
However, after Miguel’s concert, the very end was a surprise by Banda Amizade’s band that came marching in and played a handful of upbeat tunes. What a lovely late afternoon!
words: Paulo Carmona (freely translated by Raquel Pinheiro); photos: Paulo Carmona
I didn’t even took a flowers bouquet! Damn it!
How could I know I was on my way to a celebration? Neither I nor the others who were there could. No one knew that they were going to a reunion party with an old friend that not seen for a long time.
Well fellows, that is how Jay Jay Johanson sees it. He is probably one of the warmest and most tender solo artists I have ever seen. He celebrates the end of each song with effusive gestures of thanks and love for others.
The set started with Why Wait Until Tomorrow; So Tell the Girls That I’m back in Town and There’s no Easy Way to Say Goodbye revealing all its happy, nostalgic and contemplative melancholy. Closed in on himself and leaning on the microphone’s tripod from where he enjoys picking up the songs, he walks around the stage, gently, with a slight smile stamped on his face. He plays with his voice, oscillating between dark low tones and midium highs filled with melodies and harmonies.
From trip-hop to electroclash through synth-pop, wiith melodic jazz breezes everywhere, I found myself having sensations only bossa nova can give. Perhaps it was the beautiful cadence of Erik’s keyboard sounds, with Jay Jay Johanson’s smooth, nostalgic vocals that make this magic. I don’t know, but it was the feeling I was left with.
The heat in the CCOP room is such that Jay spares no effort and several times fetches water to offer and cool the audiencec A very elegant and nice gentleman, that’s what he is.
She Doesn’t Live Here Anymore gets a big ovation. But not the biggest of all. Meanwhile he introduces Erik saying he was once his dance teacher, if you can believe it. Met, of course, with laughter and squeals and happy hooting. The biggest ovation came from Heard Somebody Whistle.
After a short encore Jay Jay returns with a glass of white wine on his hand and makes magic with his voice by singing acappella, just leaning on himself. Brilliant! Someone beside me comments on the fact and lets it out in an emotional tone, that said gentleman has the best of voices.
The concert ends with Jay Jay Johanson greeting everyone who’s there in front of the stage and immediately dives into the middle of the audience and get lost in hugs, kisses and photos. Interestingly, to accompany this session, Frankie’s My Way is heard interpreted by Sid Vicious, the legendary bassist of the Sex Pistols, and soon after, Elvis Presley’s In the Ghetto. I don’t think anyone would be waiting for it. Not even me! Superfun!
A seguir a um curto encore, volta de copo de vinho branco na mão e faz magia com a voz ao cantar à capela, apenas apoiado em si mesmo. Brilhante! Alguém ao meu lado comenta o facto e deixa sair em tom emocionado, que aquele senhor tem a melhor das vozes.
O concerto termina com Jay Jay Johanson a cumprimentar toda a gente que está logo ali, na frente do palco, para logo a seguir mergulhar no meio da audiência e perder-se entre abraço, beijos e fotos. Curiosamente, a acompanhar esta sessão, ouve-se o My Way do Frankie interpretada por Sid Vicious, o lendário baixista dos Sex Pistols, e logo após, In the Ghetto do Elvis Presley. Acho que ninguém estaria à espera. Nem mesmo eu! Super fun.
words & photos: Marcos Leal; editing; Raquel Pinheiro
Last Wednesday night the Suggia room at Casa da Música served as a spaceship for the German trio Tangerine Dream, so that the audience in Porto could embark on a sidereal journey on their unique visit to our country held within the scope of Musica & Revolução (Music & Revolution) 2023 cycle.
The trio that currently performs under the name Tangerine Dream is composed of Thorsten Quaeschning, Hoshiko Yamane and Paul Frick that were not even born at the time of the band’s formation which highlights the transformative and evolutionary component of a project founded by Edgar Froese in 1967, which remained a member over the years until his death in 2015 and of which Thorsten Quaeschning was the “chosen successor”.
The audience at Sala Suggia highlighted the timelessness and transversality of a project that has been with us for several decades. Grandparents and grandchildren could be seen in the audience, people who grew old with the music of the electronic pioneers and people who came to discover its origins and evolution.
The trio entered the stage a few minutes after 21:30 under a round of applause, taking their places on the machines. Thorsten in the center, on a level above the stage, like the commander of a Star Trek, greeted the audience with a timid voice recording in Portuguese, immediately starting the musical journey that would last for more than two hours, to the sound of syncopated and pulsating melodies from Stratosfear, a theme from 1976. From then on, time came and went not following any temporal order. The screen behind the band served as a window into the world and imaginary of Tangerine Dream and giving context to each theme played by them, with images reminiscent of graphics from video games to sci-fi cinema, also referring the work done for cinematographic soundtracks. As an example Betrayal a theme of the 1977 film Sorcerer.
The journey had several stops and sound and visual landscapes with themes such as Tangram (set 1), Raum, Love On A Real Traim, Los Santos City Map, Continuum, Portico, among others from the vast repertoire. From the oldest and most recent work which the current line-up manages to approach in a very coherent way, bringing the oldest themes closer to the most recent edited work that results from archival work from samples left by the former founder Edgar Froese.
Despite the long concert, the audience asked for an encore with a standing ovation. The band followed with a long one theme, some people ended up leaving early, considering Thursday was a workday.
An the end, Thorsten introduced the remaining members greeted with with applause by the audience and a promise of a return soon, after a few good years without visiting the city.
Already heading for the stage exit, Thorsten steps back to ask for a final round of applause for the late founder of Tangerine Dream.
The show reached the end with the satisfied feeling of the audience having witnessed history.
words: Neno Costa (freely translated by Raquel Pinheiro; photos: Telma Mota
Tim Hecker (b.1974, Vancouver, Canada) is a reference in the electronic music world. A sculptor of environments his discography is an experimental journey that providing unusual itineraries, tinged with evocations and spirituality.
The performance at gnration in Braga was the pretext for the presentation of his latest record No Highs (April, 2023). With a sober presence on stage shrouded in a constant haze inviting immersive states, Tim Hecker offered an endless dive into the minimal universe. We were dragged into a resounding, ascetic, almost shamanic waterway, against which it would not be worth fighting.
We allowed ourselves be led on an oceanic journey through territories without words, in which we swim inside ourselves, led by layers of sound that merge, blend and generate new landscapes, in a lycergic, hypnotic and involving continuum.
Mondo Bizarre Magazine/Telma Mota
texto: Neno Costa; fotos: Telma Mota
Tim Hecker (n.1974, Vancouver, Canadá) é uma referência no mundo da música electrónica. Escultor de ambientes, a sua discografia é uma viagem experimental, proporcionando roteiros insólitos, tingidos de evocações e espiritualidade.
A atuação no gnration, em Braga, foi pretexto para a apresentação do seu último trabalho, No Highs (Abril, 2023). Com uma presença sóbria em palco envolta numa constante neblina convidativa a estados imersivos, Tim Hecker ofereceu um mergulho infindável no universo minimal. Fomos arrastados para um agueiro sonoro, ascético, quase xamânico, contra o qual não valeria a pena lutar.
Deixamos-nos conduzir numa viagem oceânica por territórios sem palavras, em que nadamos para dentro de nós mesmos, conduzidos por camadas sonoras que se vão fundindo, mesclando e gerando novas paisagens, num continuum licérgico, hipnótico e envolvente.
words & photos: João Vilares; editing: Raquel Pinheiro
Bill Callahan takes to the stage accompanied by Matt Kinsey (guitar) Jim White (drums) and Dustin Laurenzi (saxophone) for what thesecond concert of his European tour – ranging April 14th to 27th and in addition to Lisbon and Braga includes Madrid, Valencia, Barcelona, Bordeaux, Rennes, Paris, Lille, Brussels and Amsterdam, in a total of 13 shows.
The completely sold out spectacular Theatro Circo’s Main Hall, in Braga was the perfect atmosphere for what Bill announced: “As we’re coming out of dreams/ And we’re coming back to dreams”, from the chorus of First Bird.
The motto was set for the script of an American folk story about simple people in a wild land where poetry and overwhelming love are in the most mundane things and therefore so easy to get caught up in the feelings that are also, after all, of our own.
Without ever introducing himself or any member of his band and parsimoniously interacting with the audience, Bill Callahen made it clear that he was there for the music and that his extraordinary voice, the details of White’s jazzy drums, the almost psychedelic solos of Laurenzi’s saxophone and the perfection of Kinsey’s guitar were more than enough of a business card. If it was!
Predictably, Bill Callahan has mostly gifted us with songs from his latest album, Reality (2022). There was, however, room for other more or less inescapable themes of his discography, like Cowboy(Gold Record, 2020), Small Plane (Dream River, 2013), Drover (Apocalypse, 2011) or, already in the encore, the beautiful Too Many Birds (Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle, 2009), not before visiting Smog in Hit The Ground Running (Knock Knock, 1999) and Keep Some Steady Friends Around (Rain On Lens, 2001).
Natural Information served as a farewell to Portugal and, despite the inevitable feeling of missing one or another song, it did not prevent getting us “in a state of deep contemplation”.
Mondo Bizarre Magazine 