Mondo Bizarre Magazine Concert Reviews, Concerts

Jesus the Snake | All Them Witches, Hard Club, Porto, 24.06.2024.

© Mondo Bizarre Magazine/Telma Mota

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

Jesus the Snake, a band from Vizela, ofereced a serene and contemplative cradle with their spacial pinkfloydesque melodies. Only the dense riffs of the last track broke the immersive state and awoke the audience for what was to follow.

When All Them Witches turn arrived the change of atmosphere in the room was palpable. The audience in constant uproar and ecstasy, at times contrasting with the here and there immersive melodies of the band. However, they also own beating riffs. All Them Witches manage to transport the listener to a road movie in which we travel through prairies, and the typical dinners and motels of American landscapes.

© Mondo Bizarre Magazine/Telma Mota

The band played a setlist that reviewed several of their tracks such as the opener See You Next Fall, When God Comes Back, Alabaster, The Marriage of Coyote Woman and after effusive aplaus, on the encore, Bulls.In short, it was a happy return over here and a great welcome for All Them Witches.

Mondo Bizarre Magazine/Telma Mota
Mondo Bizarre Magazine Concerts

BDRMM, Mouco, Porto, 06.04.2024.

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

Hull band Bdrmm awaited first concert in Porto finally happened. Bdrmm came to download their electric showgaze mantle upon an audience split between a sound delight and happy talk.It was remarkable the way the band was applauded and cherished by the audience, leaving the quarter rather pleased, and, in a way, apparently surprised with such reaction, multiplying thanks you at each song. For about one and a half hour Bdrmm downloaded a stream of songs that satisfied the wishes of their fans, starting with Alps, carrying on with Be Careful.

Then, melodically loud with songs like Gush, Push/Pull, Happy, one of their greatest hits, here almost unrecognisable among a deluge of distortion, until, at, last, arriving at a good Port, um thrilling cheering by from the audience and thanks by Bdrmm.

© Mondo Bizarre Magazine/Marcos Leal
Mondo Bizarre Magazine Concert Reviews, Concerts

Devendra Banhart, Theatro Circo, Braga, 08.11.2023.

© Mondo Bizarre Magazine/Marcos Leal

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

Devendra Banhart presented Flying Wig, his new album, at  Theatro Circo in Braga. He was preceed by H. Hawkline, his guitarist. Hawkline warmed the ears and a few arms with his bass tender voice, seated on the middle of the stage gently accompanied by his guitar. 

An unexpected, but very pleasant and well received performance, bringing humour to the audience with his relaxed communication. 

©Mondo Bizarre Magazine/Marcos Leal

Good disposition and at easiness were also present at Devendra Banhart’s performance. Known by his stage eccentricity, here he presented himself in a simple, relaxed manner, a little bit a reflex of Flying Wig’s music, calmer and meditative. 

Live, his, on this album, more ethereal freak-folk,, seemed to hug and cradle. Dispute singing about life’s issue, he does it in a way that breathes calm and  levitates the soul. 

Between songs, Devendra walked around the stage, murmuring away from the microphone, toying with the audience that tried to understand when someone told him to speak louder. Maybe that was the purpose. Devendra toyed a number of times in his quiet manner, always in a sweet tone, at times with an “obrigado” that he found long, often shortened to “obri”or” gado. Or when he presented his backing band. Especially with Welshman H Hawkline, músico galês, going on a comic translation of what the guitarist was saying in Welsh.

© Mondo Bizarre Magazine/Marcos Leal

Devendra is, probably, one of the coolest musicians I’ve had the pleasure of seen live. Given one of his best known songs was missing, the concert could not finish without the traditional encore. Carmensita was farewell from Devendra & Co. with thank and waves you to the audience while heading backstage.

Mondo Bizarre Magazine Concert Reviews, Concerts

Corinne Bailey Rae – Misty Fest, Casa da Música, Porto, 05.11.2023.

© Mondo Bizarre Magazine/Marcos Leal

British singer Corinne Bailey Rae didn’t lie when, right before playing A Spell, A Prayer, invited the audience to ,“… to a spell of pleasure”. Corinne entered the stage like a wizard, wrapped in cloak resembling Merlin’s one, rocked by her band’s music ready to bewitch.

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

At each rest, Corinne spoke of the inspiration behind each song of her latest record, composed after a visit to the Stony Island Arts Bank in Chicado, a 1923 bank building turned arts and archive center for the people of South Side.

An exhibition with strong afro-american and racial segregation in the United States, curated by Theaster Gates, lead Corinne to a number of objects that would be the driving force behind Black Rainbows. Given the diversity of influences and Corinne’ need to properly live express the feelings brought by the inspirational objects the record proved to be very dynamic in concert.

© Mondo Bizarre Magazine/Marcos Leal

Some may had been surprised by such versatility from the singer when New York Transic Queen (an old beauty pageant) was performed in a more rock way, steaming from a photo of former model Audrey Smaltz, that took Corinne to compose a more rebellious and feminist song.

The evening highlight was Put it Down, introduzido by the story of a party at Stony Island Arts Bank in celebration of dj Frankie Knuckles. Corinne tells that at the entrance there was a big jar where people would drop a piece of paper with whatever worried or tormented them.

At a point, fire was thrown inside the jar and everyone danced as a community like what had been written in those pieces of paperhsd stop having so much weight upon people. And that was how,, in Put it Down, the audience was contaminated by the music dancing and smiling along Corinne in the middle of room, a few hugs and emotional words shinning in their faces.

Music really has an incredible power and Corinne and her fantastic musicians turned the night into a celebration and freedom of the worries that torment our days making us forget the outer world for a little bit.

© Mondo Bizarre Magazine/Marcos Leal