Mondo Bizarre Magazine

The Best Youth performance at the CCOP auditorium in Porto unfolded in two distinct parts — different in texture, yet beautifully complementary.

Part I – celebrating 10 years of Highway Moon

Best Youth are a breath of warm, gentle air drifting across a deserted beach on a spring morning still steeped in youth.

The atmospheres they summon almost allow us to levitate for a moment or two. The melodic, contemplative pop of this Porto duo sinks easily beneath the skin, thanks to the richness of the composition and the spell cast by Catarina Salinas’ performance. Her vocal nuances coexist harmoniously with her physical mannerisms, a perfect symbiosis.

Ed Gonçalves, the project’s creative soul, moves between guitar and synths, weaving in vocal melodies here and there. From Sunbird to Renaissance, this was the prevailing atmosphere — the audience yielding to the ritual through rhythmic swaying, sweat-slicked bodies, and joyful shouts.

When Mirrorball arrived, it felt like a prelude to what was coming next.

Part II – An open space for dance-driven rhythms

We stepped into a slightly more frenetic territory of Indie Pop, one that called everyone to the floor — danceable, sensual melodies that remained atmospheric in their pull, the hallmark of what Best Youth do so well.

From Rumba Nera to Midnight Rain, Back With a Bang, and, to finish in style: Cool Kids and Nightfalls. The night was won by all involved. It began well, and ended even better.

Warm-up done!