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manu's lucha pit
freakpowertix
Sep 11, 2007
here are a few quotes from david byrne's blog on seeing manu chao & the radio bemba sound system recently in brooklyn, like myself:
"the show was higher energy than... [his] recordings might imply. The rhythms of many of his songs are similar — a sort of folky punky ska groove — and the chords tend to cycle around and around, so the catch phrases and hooks of one song almost invisibly merged easily into those of the next...These tunes reminded me of Woody Guthrie songs, simple catchy melodies that anyone can instantly access, with memorable slogans and phrases that are political (in the broadest sense) without being didactic. Maybe Woody Guthrie songs interpreted by the Clash in reggae mode, or maybe Woody via The Specials....
The band entered rapidly one at a time — all of them with either shaved heads or buzz cuts, and most of them shirtless — a practicality in the summer heat, but also a look, obviously considered as a unifying device...
The audience was energetic and multinational — I saw a Mexican flag held aloft and the crowd was a handsome and sexy mix of African Americans, Anglos and Latinos — an enviable coming together of what are, in the U.S. at least, usually groups with very diverse tastes — maybe some of that is a testament to what he’s achieved and maybe it’s also reflective of Brooklyn. I overheard someone say it sold out quickly — which is notable for someone whose records were not the huge successes here as they were in Europe."
"a handsome & sexy mix." i wouldn't have necessarily put it that way myself, but it's true.
they were also sweaty & swirling high-energy moshers in ways i just wasn't anticipating. this luchador is testament to my overall experience of the capacity crowd. it was fantastic to be in the thick of that! (i inched very close to the stage, but was on some risers above audio cabling, so mostly evaded the 2 circle pits on either side of me!)
the vitality of it all was just what i needed! =D
"the show was higher energy than... [his] recordings might imply. The rhythms of many of his songs are similar — a sort of folky punky ska groove — and the chords tend to cycle around and around, so the catch phrases and hooks of one song almost invisibly merged easily into those of the next...These tunes reminded me of Woody Guthrie songs, simple catchy melodies that anyone can instantly access, with memorable slogans and phrases that are political (in the broadest sense) without being didactic. Maybe Woody Guthrie songs interpreted by the Clash in reggae mode, or maybe Woody via The Specials....
The band entered rapidly one at a time — all of them with either shaved heads or buzz cuts, and most of them shirtless — a practicality in the summer heat, but also a look, obviously considered as a unifying device...
The audience was energetic and multinational — I saw a Mexican flag held aloft and the crowd was a handsome and sexy mix of African Americans, Anglos and Latinos — an enviable coming together of what are, in the U.S. at least, usually groups with very diverse tastes — maybe some of that is a testament to what he’s achieved and maybe it’s also reflective of Brooklyn. I overheard someone say it sold out quickly — which is notable for someone whose records were not the huge successes here as they were in Europe."
"a handsome & sexy mix." i wouldn't have necessarily put it that way myself, but it's true.
they were also sweaty & swirling high-energy moshers in ways i just wasn't anticipating. this luchador is testament to my overall experience of the capacity crowd. it was fantastic to be in the thick of that! (i inched very close to the stage, but was on some risers above audio cabling, so mostly evaded the 2 circle pits on either side of me!)
the vitality of it all was just what i needed! =D
