Mondo Bizarre Magazine Concert Reviews, Concerts

YHWH Nailgun – RCA Radioclube Agramonte, Porto, 18.06.2026.

© Mondo Bizarre Magazine/Ricardo Silva

words: António Carvalho (edited by Raquel Pinheiro)
photos: Ricardo Silva

It was before a nearly full audience that the New Yorkers YHWH Nailgun returned to northern Portugal, after their debut at the Mucho Flow festival last November. Despite being dubbed by an American publication as “the last good band left in New York” (an exaggerated title, in my opinion), it’s clear from the first minute that there’s a spark of originality in their sound.

It’s difficult to define, but it seems easy to categorize it somewhere between post-punk and noise, a wide field in which some no wave bands from their city moved in the eighties. Their music is strongly anchored in Sam Pickard’s drumming, with its fast, elaborate and highly percussive rhythms (the use of rototoms helps immensely), inviting bodies to move.

Zack Borzone’s guttural voice and stage presence are other key elements, although the words he utters are difficult to understand. The sound of Saguiv Rosenstock’s highly processed guitar, achieved with a huge array of distortion pedals, is angular and dissonant, functioning almost like a second voice.

© Mondo Bizarre Magazine/Ricardo Silva

Dissonance is also present in Jack Tobias’ synthesizers, in a tone that is sometimes urgent, sometimes serene. The combination of these elements, meticulously interpreted, ever present and full of shifts and small explosions, results in something that confirms the cliché “first you find it strange, then it becomes ingrained.”

They began by playing their second album, released weeks ago, which curiously is only 11 minutes long and has 10 tracks, all around the minute mark. I even think they played it in its entirety, just like the tracks from their debut album that came after, released last year.

Zach immerses himself in his lyrics, as if exorcising inner demons, which contrasts with his angelic and contemplative pose between songs, looking at the faces in the audience. In less than an hour, they left people wanting more, as if they could deliver it and we could process it.

They have a somewhat mysterious and haunting appeal (perhaps that’s why the legendary 4AD recently signed them) and are the result of a successful experiment, such is the unique and cohesive outcome.

They’re not a band for the masses, but there will certainly be a vast minority who will want to get to know them and exchange strangeness for familiarity.

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© Mondo Bizarre Magazine/Ricardo Silva

Mondo Bizarre Magazine Concert Reviews, Concerts

Alex Lazaro – Lovers & Lollypops, Porto, 16.06.2026.

© Mondo Bizarre Magazine/Ricardo Silva

Percussion as Structure and Movement

words & photos: Ricardo Silva

On 16 June, the intimate venue operated by Lovers & Lollypops in Porto hosted a performance by percussionist Alex Lazaro, who presented material from Alocades, his first solo release.

The concert formed part of the venue’s ongoing programme dedicated to contemporary experimental and exploratory music, continuing the independent promoter’s long-standing commitment to emerging and unconventional artistic practices.

Lazaro approached the evening with a performance centred on percussion not merely as a rhythmic device but as a primary compositional language. Working with instruments including marimba, vibraphone and rototom, he constructed pieces that balanced repetition, texture and movement.

Rather than relying on conventional song structures, the performance unfolded through gradual developments in timbre and dynamics, creating a listening experience that emphasised detail and spatial awareness.

Throughout the set, the physical dimension of performance remained central. The relationship between body, instrument and sound became an integral part of the presentation, with gestures and movement contributing as much to the visual identity of the concert as the music itself. The result was a performance that occupied a space between concert, sound art and choreography, allowing audiences to engage simultaneously with sonic and physical forms of expression.

© Mondo Bizarre Magazine/Ricardo Silva

The acoustics and proximity offered by the Lovers & Lollypops venue proved particularly suited to the material. Subtle resonances, sustained tones and rhythmic shifts could be perceived with clarity, reinforcing the immersive character of the compositions. The setting encouraged attentive listening and highlighted the intricate relationships between the various percussive elements employed during the performance.

While Alocades serves as Lazaro’s first solo statement, the musician is already recognised for his collaborative work, most notably alongside Colombian composer and producer Lucrecia Dalt.

That experience is reflected in an approach that favours sonic exploration over genre conventions, combining contemporary percussion techniques with a broader interest in texture and atmosphere. The Porto performance demonstrated how those influences have been adapted into a distinct artistic language centred on percussion as both musical and performative expression.

The concert also reflected the broader curatorial identity of Lovers & Lollypops.

Alex Lazaro’s appearance in Porto was therefore more than a presentation of new material. It offered a focused exploration of percussion as a multidimensional practice, one in which sound, movement and space interact continuously.

In a programme increasingly defined by curiosity and experimentation, the concert stood as a concise example of the type of work that continues to find a home within Porto’s independent music community.

© Mondo Bizarre Magazine/Ricardo Silva

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