The Legendary Tigerman, Hard Club, Porto, 23.03.2024.

© Mondo Bizarre Magazine/Daniela Tedim

words: Paulo Carmona (freely translated by Raquel Pinheiro); photos: Daniela Tedim

One thing is certain – Something new will happen. The Man is in constant innovation.
Is that cool? … It is. In this particular instance it is. There is a coherence in the manner and presentation in synchrony with the idyosincrasies of mi artist-performer. It is in aesthetics and the imaginary that Paulo Furtado’s art of music takes a different short cut, but the vanishing point between rock’n’roll evens goes away and returns to him. A dynamic present on Zeitgeist – the new album played at this concert.

© Mondo Bizarre Magazine/Daniela Tedim

The rebelious gentleman presented a well structured setlist, starting with Everyone, One More Time, Good girl and Naked Blues, wandering between the before and the now in a frenzy of contagious emotions that seethed throughout the room with shades of insolent eroticism that insists on watering our garden on a pouring rainy day. Motorcycle Boy was also played, and, towards, the end Fix of Rock’n’roll.

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Very well accompanied on stage by Filipe Rocha (bass), Cabrita (sax), Mike Ghost (drums) and Sara Badalo (vocals) who, with her remarkable and sensual voice has a highlighted role on Zeitgeist.
The show never stops because there is no time to waste. We’re on the last round and hips haven’t stop moving at the rhythm of such incendiary rock’n’roll. Guests Ray and Best Youth join the party adding colour to the scenery.

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Already among the audience Paulo Furtado punchily asks what is supreme glory. Until someone gets the right answer: Love! He ends up upon the back bar. No one wants a K.O. We all want a mutually agreed and quite sweaty satisfaction.
I maintain this Legendary Tigerman is our most genuine case of pure, raw, é o nosso caso mais genuíno de rock’n’roll, even on the latest record in which keyboards and samplers a la carte are enequivally present. With the bar raised quite high, in my view, he remains a rock’n’roll guru. Legendary, no doubt.
Vive le Rock!

© Mondo Bizarre Magazine/Daniela Tedim

Wolf Manhattan, Mouco, Porto, 24.02.2024.

© Mondo Bizarre Magazine/Paulo Carmona

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

A contagious happiness, as if was thick fog, immediately came upon the audience. Wolf Manhattan’s cheerful music collides with the time period of its creation – during the pandemic – which leads to believe (I may be wrong) it was a very effective way that João Viera, such an alternative pop music chameleon, found to buffer that distressing period. Among the chaos, an artist soul emerges as one of the best medicines for humanity.

We were given an amusing, intelligent performance, created by sound and improvised theatre. There were rabbits, ghosts and aligattors with raving multiple signs in which shaking your butt dancing, grotesque and fantasy go hand in hand with the rocking of an hypnotic merry-go-round.

© Mondo Bizarre Magazine/Paulo Carmona

As for Wolf Manhattan’s songs, that join juicy electronic pop, alternative indie-pop-rock with a certain beat, Back to Her, Wanna go Back, Voices in My head and, of course, Sometimes attended the celebration. I would have far more to say,but prefer to tie with João Vieira’s own words to us “I want much more than a concert. A performance, a story, an imaginar, an universe, something different than just a music show.”,grounded, according João, in his be all – David Bowie. And he pulled it off. David Bowie??? – What else!

© Mondo Bizarre Magazine/Paulo Carmona

Lanterns On The Lake, Mouco, Porto, 27.01.2024.

© Mondo Bizarre Magazine/Paulo Carmona

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

Many went to Mouco to New Castle band Lanterns On The Lake first concert in Porto.

The band started with The Likes Of Us, Real Life and Every Atom. Right there it shows the band is instrumentaly very competent. Be it 9n the rhythm or the melodic section. The harmonic sequences are irreproachable.

Hazel Wilde’s lead vocals are impregnated with loud, vibrating sounds that perfectly dress the songs, fully tailored for her vocal range. As it is said, it fit like a glove. Indie rock set Mouco’s the room on fire with Blue Screen Beams, When It All Comes True and Rich Girls. Paul Gregory’s guitar is so intense that it is impossible for bodies not to vibrate with its riffs.

Before the encore, Hazel jokes a little with the cliché saying they will no behind that door and be right back with a few more song, which generates laughter. After the show, I wandered around and was left with the impression of a friend’s gathering in which between people who did not knew each other well. Music does such things.

The Saxophones, Auditório Francisco de Assis, Porto, 19.11.2023.

© Mondo Bizarre Magazine/Paulo Carmona

words: Paulo Carmona (edited and freely translated by Raquel Pinheiro); photos: Paulo Carmona .

Recently, a lot has been talked about music as therapy. Sometimes more rightly, others less so. As everything else these days. In a deciduous Sunday, the moon already a companion., a few hundred people, among them myself, witnessed the confirmation of the preamble I’ve just mentioned by watching The Saxophones.

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They started with Lamplighter, and right there the atmosphere changed in the blink of an eye.The music melodic smoothness soaked Francisco de Assis with a perfumed swing retro pop, capable to craddle de most attention sentinel of a fortification in danger. It is a very contagious and appeasing sound.

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Alexis Erenkov is a very compente and compassionate baritone. He allows the music to and speaks for itself, that he only adorns with his frail, almost naive, verses, at times, here and there, accompanied by Alison Alderlice’s sweet voice.Alternating between saxophone and guitar, and a transverse flute in Boy Crazy, the songs, very aesthetically similar between themselves, appeared in a slow, rhythm, intimate sequence.

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Alexis confesses this is the first tour he plays saxophone. The original idea was ever to do so, but times and wills change and it happened. I confess that, to my delight, they played If You’re On The Water on the encore. And right afterwards, as closing, In My Defence. I left satiefied and peaceful among a sea of happy glowing people. As is wished on an early Autumn Sunday evening. Turns out it seemed to had been therapeutic to everyone. All the better.

© Mondo Bizarre Magazine/Paulo Carmona