Mondo Bizarre Magazine Concert Reviews, Concerts

The Divine Comedy, Casa da Música, Porto, 09.03.2026.

© Mondo Bizarre Magazine/Telma Mota

words: Raquel Pinheiro
photos: Telma Mota

Flying With Friends

The Divine Comedy made a stop on their current tour at Casa da Música, in Sala Suggia – the orchestra room. The band is promoting their latest, beautiful album Rainy Sunday Afternoon, one of my favourite records of 2025.

If I was asked to describe them to someone who has never heard them, my first description would be baroque pop, which fits particularly well with Victory For The Comic Muse (2006), from which they played my beloved A Lady Of A Certain Age. Baroque pop can also be applied to Achilles, the concert opening song. But, The Divine Comedy are more than that.

Neil Hannon took to the stage in hat, sunglasses, jacket, fronting the band, and it was the beginning of a wonderful musical evening that started with Achilles.

By the end of the third song, When The Lights Go Out, off go the hat and the sunglasses. “I got to take this off”, says Hannon, and removes the glasses. Quickly and playfully questioning the audience: “Are you sleepy?”; Audience: “No.”; “Are you drunk?”; Audience: “No!”

I Want You sees him crouched between the keyboards and the drum kit. The elegant Lady Of A Certain Age, here faster than on record, follows, with me singing along, then “And now for probably my most intellectual song” introduces the upbeat, danceable At The Indie Disco. Neapolitan Girl sees me dancing on my seat.

Mar-A-Lago is lounge hour. Neil has a bar/cocktail station, prepares cocktails for the band, and a glass of wine for Tim Weller, the drummer, while introducing his extraordinary fellow musicians (I’m still marvelling at Simon Little): Andrew Skeet (keyboards), Ian Watson (keyboards, accordion, backing vocals), Simon Little (bass, backing vocals), Tosh Flood (guitar, backing vocals), Rosie Thompson (violin) and the aforementioned Tim Weller (drums).

The audience claps enthusiastically every time a drink is delivered to a band member. For himself, Neil pours red wine. From here onwards things become even more enthusiastic.

There will be Neil on his knees on stage; Neil stepping out of the stage walking in front of the front row, falling to the floor, seating up, sitting on the front row – during Our Mutual Friend – and lots of talking: “Thank you front row. If I ever go too far just call me out. You’re free to dance if you want, to move around, I don’t care. It’s more fun”.

And a dancing party starts by the stage, that will end up fully crowded. I’m the only person dancing in the press/guests box, perched on the heights of a wall. Which is a ton of fun, matching what is going down below.

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, a beautiful romantic song, calms things down a little, and there are now people seated between the front row and the stage: “It’s good you’re sitting down there. It’s like Woodstock”. It kind of is. 🙂

Absent Friends is raising his glass to the audience time and to call on us: “Come on everybody, let’s share the experience.” Down there everyone stands up and dances. Generation Sex not only has an incredibly more partying audience, but the band sound getting louder. Which continues with National Express, the end of the main part.

For the encore we’re treated to To The Rescue, the poignant Invisible Thread, and a delirious finale with Tonight We Fly. And, indeed, flew we did.

© Mondo Bizarre Magazine/Telma Mota

The band:
Neil Hannon – vocals, guitar, tambourine
Andrew Skeet – keyboards
Ian Watson – keyboards, accordion, backing vocals,
Simon Little – bass, backing vocals
Tosh Flood – guitar, backing vocals
Rosie Thompson – violin
Tim Weller- drums

Setlist:
Achilles
The Last Time I Saw the Old Man
When the Lights Go Out All Over Europe
Assume The Perpendicular
Rainy Sunday Afternoon
I Want You
A Lady Of A Certain Age
At The Indie Disco
Neapolitan Girl
Mar-a-Lago by the Sea
Bang Goes The Knighthood
Our Mutual Friend
I Like
Bad Ambassador
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter
Other People
Absent Friends
Becoming More Like Alfie
Generation Sex
National Express
To The Rescue
Invisible Thread
Tonight We Fly

Mondo Bizarre Magazine Concert Reviews, Concerts

Wavves, Mouco, Porto, 28.02.2026.

© Mondo Bizarre Magazine/Telma Mota

words: Paulo Carmona (freely translated by Raquel Pinheiro)
photos: Telma Mota

It was an intense, youthful, irreverent, dynamic and joyous concert from start to finish.

Almost without interruption, with very little chatter, and no hidden agendas.

This Californian quartet knew exactly what they had come for and did not hold back. They delivered everything they had to give in just under an hour, treating their audience to energetic surf rock infused with plenty of that neo-punk edge characteristic of many North American West Coast bands.

Heavily distorted, striking guitars, a strong and present bass, and an immensely energetic, tightly played and incredibly powerful drum kit. It’s a recipe that never fails.

The first assault came with Way Too Much, Idiot, King Of a Beach and Tarantula. Nathan Williams, the project’s founding member, is effusive and provocative. He urged the crowd to split down the middle, only to then charge at one another. It worked perfectly. The mosh and the slam took over Mouco, and the rest is well known. For a few moments, we are all teenagers again.

A special mention for Nine Is God, a very well-structured and captivating song. They closed their set with Green Eyes and took their leave beneath enthusiastic applause, though without an encore. It is what it is, and that’s perfectly fine.

Mondo Bizarre Magazine Concert Reviews, Concerts

Miles Kane, Hard Club, Porto, 13.02.2026.

© Mondo Bizarre Magazine/Telma Mota

words: Paulo Carmona (freely translated by Raquel Pinheiro)
photos: Telma Mota

I could have begun this article with any of the following titles: The Art of Knowing How to Be on Stage; The Magic of Rock’n’Roll; A British Rocker à la Carte; or The Fever of a Friday the 13th at the End of a Storm. Any one of them would have suited Miles Kane’s concert at the Hard Club in Porto.

But I’ll start by saying that I witnessed one of the finest performances I have had the pleasure to see in recent times, because Miles Kane is utterly captivating on stage. All that mojo spills from every pore of his skin. He wants to be loved and idolised by the audience — and he achieves it with a chameleon-like passport in shades of fine French champagne.

He offers the back of his neck to the crowd at the front, to be stroked like a pampered cat, but always in moderation. Then he erupts with every song, exuding the attitude of a wild, untamed Baudelaire. He smiles, sending sensual sparks with every movement, and his guitar is a lunatic that seems intent on reaching multiple climaxes, so excited is it.

It all began the very moment he set foot on stage, launching into Electric Flower, Rearrange, Trouble Son and Cry on My Guitar, and continued seamlessly, supported by his backing band, who give him the space to shine, until he closed with Come Closer. Naturally.

He thanked the crowd, thanked them again, distributed greetings, autographs, and love to his fans, and withdrew with poise, swagger, and the style of a true artist. And he truly is one.

Mondo Bizarre Magazine Concert Reviews, Concerts

Mayflower Madame, Maus Hábitos, Porto, 27.11.2025.

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

A welcome surprise on Maus Hábitos stage: Norway’s Mayflower Madame made their Portuguese debut.

Shunning any inflated posturing and maintaining all the discretion they could, the four musicians from Oslo delivered a strong concert, focused on a spotless performance that moved through all three of their albums to date, with a particular emphasis on the most recent, Insight.

Songs such as Lovesick, Paint It All Blue and A Foretold Ecstasy coloured the room with captivating atmospheres, blending – quite fluidly – the sweep of gothic-tinged epics with post-punk exaltation.

Trond Fagernes’s voice, the arrangements, and the rhythm section occasionally summoned cinematic moods, in an immersive performance that did not disappoint.

Decidedly, a band to keep in mind for any Michelin guide to post-sonorities.

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Mondo Bizarre Magazine Concert Reviews, Concerts

The Young Gods, Hard Club, Porto, 24.10.2025.

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

Six years on, The Young Gods returned to Porto for a performance that in no way disappointed the legion of devoted followers who filled the Hard Club to capacity.

With Swiss punctuality, the trio -long familiar to Portuguese stages since 1990 – appeared to promote their latest album, Appear Disappear, released in June this year.

“I spend my time in the brain of the monster,” sang Franz Treichler, quoting Che Guevara, on Appear Disappear. Riding the mounting tension woven by the energetic guitar riffs, the vigorous electronics of Cesare Pizzi and the tribal percussion of Bernard Trontin, the concert flowed through the creative storm of their latest work before revisiting TV Sky (1992), creating an intriguing juxtaposition that reaffirmed the unmistakable sonic fingerprint of the Swiss trio.

Undisputed masters of finely orchestrated industrial landscapes, The Young Gods delivered a flawless performance that extended across two encores.

The finale came with Did You Miss Me, from their 1987 debut album, a multifaceted evocation at a time when the band celebrates forty years of existence. The night reaffirmed them as a performative force still capable of surprising and stirring… the teenagers of the ’90s.

© Telma Mota/Mondo Bizarre Magazine
Mondo Bizarre Magazine Concert Reviews, Concerts

God Is An Astronaut, Casa da Música Porto, 08.10.2025.

words: Neno Costa (freely translated by Raquel Pinheiro); drawings: Neno Costa

God Is an Astronaut returned to Casa da Música, three years after their last appearance in 2022- this time Sala Suggia – offering, true to form, yet another magnificent concert.

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The Irish trio emerged following a virtuosic solo performance by cellist Jo Quail, who accompanies the band on this voyage, enriching their sound without in the slightest disturbing the post-rock atmosphere. A realm ruled by the voices of instruments and the crafting of vast, interpretative landscapes.

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The sonic voyage began with Falling Leaves, opening the passage into their latest work, Embers (2024). The distinctive picking of Torsten Kinsella’s guitar slipped forth like an invitation to the senses, soon joined by the other instruments to form a scene traversed like an emotional roller-coaster, with epic downpours and nostalgic sunsets. The well-tempered bass of Niels Kinsella and the band’s new drummer Anxo Silveira wove an intricate, enveloping dialogue, further expanded by Jo Quail’s contribution.

It was a solid, soaring performance that carried the audience on a cosmic voyage through highlights of their eleven-album career. With the indispensable All Is Violent, All Is Bright seasoning an already rich setlist, and closing, ouroboros-like, with From Dust to Beyond (2002).

© Neno Costa/Mondo Bizarre Magazine
Mondo Bizarre Magazine Concert Reviews, Concerts

Jim Jarmusch & Jozef van Wissen, Casa da Música, Porto, 13/07/2025.

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

Jim Jarmusch, the independent filmmaker behind iconic cinematic works with the soul of a musician, and Jozef van Wissem, the maestro of the lute, performed a concert that felt like it had drifted out of a somber yet beautiful dream.

With tracks like The Unclouded Day and Concerning Celestial Hierarchy, the concert opened as a kind of secular meditation, where van Wissem’s lute chords engaged in a delicate conversation with Jarmusch’s textured guitar layers.

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The soundscape was meditative, with van Wissem’s fingerpicking bordering on hypnotic, and Jarmusch’s slow, dense guitar seeming suspended in time, adding waves of reverb and feedback to the folk serenity of the lute.

Their chemistry was defined by minimalism and transcendence: few notes, vast space, and a deeply cinematic aura. Tracks like The Unclouded Day and Only Lovers Left Alive pulled the audience into a world where the soundtrack itself was the lead character.

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But the most surprising moment came during the encore.After a performance drenched in introspection, the two returned to the stage and, without warning, standing tall with guitars raised, launched into a track driven by an electronic beat—more pulsating, more visceral, almost danceable.

The audience stirred, though still somewhat restrained by the mood shaped earlier. It felt as if they had tugged us back to Earth, just to prove that even masters of silence know how to erupt in sound when they choose to.

Mondo Bizarre Magazine Concert Reviews, Concerts

Guitar Wolf, Barracuda, Porto, 29.06.2025.

© Mondo Bizarre Magazine/Telma Mota

words: Neno Costa (freely translated by Raquel Pinheiro); photos: Telma Mota – reel on our insta @mondobizarremagazine

Punk is not dead in the land of the rising sun. Such was proved – and how proved it was! – by Guitar Wolf in a remarkable concert at the temple of Porto’s most daring sounds, Barracuda.

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The Japanese trio, formed in 1987 – of which original line-up only survivor is guitarist Seiji – presented themselves with an irreverent, captivating stance, invoking the country that bequeathed them tempura and arigato, before toppling the sonic reactors upon the human mass that seized up in a sea for extreme sweat and heat until the last chord.

Punk rock of the best origin, in an omnipresent tribute to the Ramones, provided a sound that transcends the more canonical formula, entwining a power noise with criative particularities able to sustain songs like Fujiyama Attack and Jet Generation.

© Mondo Bizarre Magazine/Telma Mota
Mondo Bizarre Magazine Concert Reviews, Concerts

Tinariwen, Casa da Música, Porto, 25.05.2025.

© Mondo Bizarre Magazine/Marcos Leal

words: Raquel Pinheiro; photos: Marcos Leal

Malian band Tinariwen arrived to Porto after the release of the compilation album Idrache (Traces of the Past).

Tinariwen means desert people, or people of the desert, Tamasheq. The band born in the borders of Argel and Mali in 1979, brought their assuf (longing, or longing for home), that we know as desert blues, to Porto.And what a concert it was.

Starting slow with Azawad, soon there was dancing and clapping from the stage, incentivinzing the audience to follow.

However, even if people were rocking on their seats, it would took an hour and twenty minutes for the room to stand up and dance.

By the encore, during Afric Temdam, Sastanaqam and Chaghaybou the front of the stage was filled with dancing people.On the other hand, the clapping and diverse vocals sounds from the audience to the stage stayed a staple during the performance.

© Mondo Bizarre Magazine/Marcos Leal

The way the band uses guitars, divided between acoustic and electric, at times for electric guitars, on stage, in conjunction with the electric bass and traditional percussion is extraordinary. No instrument submerges another.

Tinariwen music is sublime. Transcendent. The songs are sang in Tamasheq, their feelings, the emotions, the soul fulfillment, universal.

Mondo Bizarre Magazine Concert Reviews, Concerts

The Legendary Tigerman, Casa da Música, 01.04.2025

Mondo Bizarre Magazine/Marcos Leal

words: Paulo Carmona (edited by Raquel Pinheiro); photos: Marcos Leal

A gentleman is always a gentleman, and rock’n’roll is no exception.The Legendary Tigerman, Paulo Furtado’s pseudonym, is a well of talent. He is a performance artist par excellence and has the ability to surpass himself. We see it again and again, but we always expect something magical to happen. And it did!

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An almost sold out Sala Suggia, dressed up to welcome the hottest rocker Portugal and his much-cherished women from Femina, on the 15th anniversary of the iconic album. A memorable evening that moved me to the limits of the most insolent glamour of my youth. This wonderful ability of rock’n’roll never ceases to seduce and amaze.

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Phoebe Killdeer, Maria de Medeiros, Rita Red Shoes, Claudia Efe and her partner – Sara Badalo – brought the intended charm and sensuality only within the reach of the Ladies of rock.Helena Coelho, who will be the mother of Paulo’s child in a few months, was also called to the stage to perform Summertime, alongside Ray.

The songs of Femina were played in full with an enviable technical rigor, with adjustments here and there. There was still room left for songs such as Keep it Burning, New Love and Ghost Rider, from the album Zeitgeist (2023).

© Mondo Bizarre Magazine/Marcos Leal

April Fools’ Day was rammed by the truth of rock’n’roll, which continues to be the fountain of youth for many like Paulo Furtado.The bar was risen again. This year is promising!

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