On a Monday evening the line of people to Hard Club was visible before opening time. It took some time for British singer-songwriter Hohnen Ford, the opening act to be on stage. Quickly, with a smiley face, starting to play the piano and singing beautifully. Of note a cover of Radiohead’s No Surprises and the live debut of a new song, Honest Mistake. Going by the delight many were listening to her on the front rows, she gathered new fans.
Patrick Watson turn, playing Lost With You under mild, intimate light, that progressed towards the other musicians, surprisingly encorporating the lyrics of Radiohead’s CreepIt was a concert of great complicity and intimacy that captivated the audience. As much on a scenic as well as musical level it was a concert of great beauty and sensibility with songs that tools to intimate, but also mundane places. Between sings there were stories about those songs in themselves, and some joyous moments. Such as in Lisboa Mermaid in Lisbon was sung by Gisela João (on record the voice belongs to Teresa Salgueiro), displaying good stage chemistry. In a kind of encore Hohnen Ford returned, and once more enchanted the audience singing an acoustic song along Patrick Watson.
The concert ending was surprising. Patrick Watson came down to the middle of the audience with a megaphone accompanied by his bassist/guitarist carrying on his shoulders some sort of lights structure, both slowly playing and singing towards the room exit.
words: Paulo Carmona (freely translated by Raquel Pinheiro); photos Hiliana Melo
On stage, more than showbiz, more than show off, give rock’n’roll truth. As it is in its essence. Unpretentious and genuine. That is what Pop Dell’Arte is. That is it, and it is very good.
Sonorously speaking it is complex in construction, structure, form. Bass, drums and guitar played by Zé Pedro Moura, Ricardo Martins and Paulo Monteiro are extremely competent performing the songs as well as on their own, leaving an impression with the daring passion the music flows to our senses. João Peste’s voice is what we were used to over decades. Intense and very charismatic. At times powerful and resounding, at times sarcastic, dragged, and insolent filled of an apparent juvenile innocence. Take note, apparent! Maybe that is why he and his companions can make Pop Dell’Arte’s music seem so fresh. Each concert is a celebration. An hymn to the band’s aesthetic conscience and its survival along its life spam.
This concert didn’t deviate from it, and that is good. It started with Star Wars and Em Creta, through Avanti Marinaio, Planet Lakroon, Panoptical Architecture for Empty Streets in a Silent City, Wil’n’Chic, Be Bop and Sonhos Pop, and, towards the end Freaky Dance and My Funny Ana Lana. A great celebration, no doubt.Is it me or this more thrilling, frantic, alternative as well as pop side of rock as its strongest expression in a time references were few, but, indisputably, remarkable.
words: Guilherme Lucas (freely translated by Raquel Pinheiro); photos: Raquel Pinheiro
Famous British composer, musician and producer John Parish was in Portugal, to present live, in two concerts – Porto and Lisboa – his film-concert, called Screenplay. Thursday he was at Hard Club in Porto and Friday at Culturgest in Lisboa, the last as part of IndieLisboa International Film Festival programme.
Screenplay, a Parish album released in 2013, made of soundtracks for a movie that does not really exist. The concept is based on the selection of several scenes from various films (nine altogether), of the musician ‘s taste, who decided to compose sequentially with the aim to produce soundtrack for all those excerpts, resulting in nineteen themes. The idea is curious, very valid and the proof is that, after being listened to, it works well in musical terms,.
John Parish performed on Hard Club’s stage accompanied by his private band made up of accomplices (I immediately recognized drummer and multi-instrumentalist Jean Marc Butty, who was part of Mick Harvey’s support band, since he played in Portugal, in 2015). Butty is the service drummer, along with Parish and Jeremy Hogg (another of the guitarists present) of PJ Harvey’s). Marta Collica (keys and vocals) and Giorgia Poli (bass and vocals), the other band members, also are usual musicians from John Parish Band.
In a conceptual and intimate concert, as was the, where fifteen of the nineteen songs were played (not on the album’s line-up), I have clearly and very objectively retained two points to comment:
– Although the projection of some of the film sequences is understandable, in order to provide the audience with more engagement and clarity about the music being played for that very footage, the fact is that in most cases it did not work effectively. If it is visually pleasing to see a band silhouetted in front of a film screen with films projection running, in this case there were many moments when the intensity of the music, and even its volume, could not harmoniously connect with the images, losing kinematic beam. Not always, but most times. Many of the band’s best musical moments happened when it played without the footage projection.
– The John Parish Band is a luxury band, made up of musicians that create excellent music, with extremely elegant and impeccable good taste. It is, therefore, always able to play variable quality material with the same commitment. All that to say that it was obvious to ascertainment that some of the album’s themes are quality rather inferior composition wise when compared to others that are simply excellent, of a touching melancholic beauty. It is, however, understandable that this oscillation (possibly caused by of Parish’s different moods during the creative act that brought them into being, certainly always variable and circumstantial), in the sense that there does not always have to be a perfect album with huge themes. The point is that Screenplay has excellent themes, but also offers so many that are only understood as Parish’s experimental approaches (or even reveries), possibly very valid for him … but that do not reach the greatness and depth of some of the others.
John Parish is a very friendly musician with the audience and was quite pleased with the warm reception he was receiving with clapping at the end of each theme. After the performance, the band returned once again to stage, as a farewell and encore, to play another composition called Buffalo.
In short, I will say that it was, without a doubt, a good concert, but with my best expectations were somewhat disappointed, because from John Parish I only expect nothing less than excellence.
O famoso compositor, músico e produtor britânico, John Parish está em Portugal, para apresentar ao vivo, em duas datas – Porto e Lisboa – o seu filme-concerto, de nome Screenplay. Ontem esteve no Hard Club, no Porto e hoje estará na Culturgest, em Lisboa, fazendo este último concerto parte da programação da IndieLisboa International Film Festival.
Screenplay é um álbum de Parish lançado em 2013, feito de bandas sonoras para um filme que não existe na realidade. O conceito parte da seleção de várias cenas de vários filmes (nove ao todo), da preferência do músico, que decidiu compor em forma sequencial com vista à realização de uma banda sonora totalizadora desses excertos, resultando em dezanove temas. A ideia é curiosa e muito válida e a prova é que resulta bem em termos musicais, após escuta.
John Parish apresentou-se no palco do Hard Club acompanhado da sua banda privativa feita de amizades cúmplices (reconheci de imediato o baterista e multinstrumentista Jean Marc Butty, que fez parte da banda de apoio de Mick Harvey, desde a última vez que este tocou no nosso país, em 2015). Butty é o baterista de serviço, conjuntamente com Parish e Jeremy Hogg (outro dos guitarristas presentes), de PJ Harvey). Marta Collica (teclas e voz) e Giorgia Poli (baixo e voz), os restantes elementos da banda, são também elas músicos habituais na John Parish Band.
Num concerto conceptual e de pendor intimista, como foi o caso deste, onde foram tocados quinze dos dezanove temas (fora do alinhamento do álbum), retive, clara e muito objetivamente, dois aspetos para comentar:
– Embora seja entendível a projeção de algumas das sequências dos filmes de forma a dar mais envolvência e esclarecimento ao público da música que era interpretada para essas mesmas cenas, o facto é que na maior parte das vezes não resultou de forma eficaz. Se visualmente é sempre agradável ver uma banda em silhueta à frente de um ecrã de cinema com projeção de filmes a decorrer, neste caso existiram muitos momentos em que a intensidade da música, e até o seu volume, não conseguiram ligar-se harmoniosamente com as imagens, perdendo fulgor cinemático. Não em todos os momentos, mas na maior parte deles. Muitos dos melhores registos musicais da banda, ocorreram quando a mesma atuava sem a projeção das cenas.
– A John Parish Band é uma banda de luxo, feita de instrumentistas que fazem excelente música, de forma extremamente elegante e de irrepreensível bom gosto. É, por isso, sempre capaz de interpretar material de qualidade variável com o mesmo empenho. Tudo isto para dizer que foi óbvia a constatação de que alguns dos temas do álbum são de qualidade composicional bastante inferior a outros que são simplesmente excelentes e de uma beleza melancólica tocante. Entende-se contudo esta oscilação (eventualmente por diferentes estados de espírito de Parish aquando do ato criativo que lhes deu origem, e que certamente são sempre variáveis e circunstanciais), no sentido de que não tem de haver sempre um álbum perfeito de enormes temas. A questão é que Screenplay tem excelentes temas, mas também oferece outros tantos que só se entendem como abordagens experimentais de Parish (ou até devaneios), eventualmente muito válidos para o músico… mas que não alcançam a grandeza e a profundidade de alguns outros.
John Parish é um músico muito simpático com o público e mostrou-se bastante contente com a receção calorosa que ia recebendo deste, em forma de aplausos no final de cada tema. Finalizada a atuação, a banda regressou mais uma vez a palco para, em jeito de despedida e de encore, interpretarem mais uma composição, Buffalo de seu nome.
Resumindo: direi que foi, sem sombra de dúvida, um bom concerto, mas com as minhas melhores expetativas algo defraudadas, pois de um John Parish só espero nada menos que a excelência.
Mondo Bizarre Magazine 