Narc. Magazine Online
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Chloe Glover enjoys an evening of intimate and heartfelt songs which tap into the beauty of the everyday, love and companionship
Image: Juan Wauters by Juan Francisco Sanchez
A Juan Wauters show is one of those moments that’s hard to forget. It’s like summer for the soul, mixed with an infectious giddiness, accessibility and the unexpected. Perfect for a frost-bitten late autumn night at the Cumberland Arms, Juan’s first trip to the city in his 10 years of playing live solo.
Local singer songwriter Osaka Jo opens the night with a pop folk performance set alight by her velvety country voice, deserving of her own headline slot at the venue. She is followed by Skydaddy, who takes the audience on a cosmic journey through his offbeat chamber folk rock style, at times reminiscent of Lou Reed.
No wonder then that so many fans here have seen chameleonic singer and former Beets frontman Juan live before at far away parts of the country. As is customary at his shows, Juan starts with an introduction, name-dropping Queens where he grew up and has now returned to live after years as a wandering troubadour. This included a return to his birthplace in Montevideo, Uruguay, during lockdown, sparking a renaissance in Spanish language tunes. “I was a bit unsure how it would translate to English audiences,” he muses before the first song. But it is just one essential part of Wauters’ sincere, down-to-earth oeuvre that brings fans back to him again and again. Huddling around one microphone with three guitars for the opening tracks, Wauters and his two bandmates deliver honest, intimate and heartfelt songs in a soft croon that tap into the beauty of the everyday, love and companionship, their essence transcending any language barriers.
Eyes sparkling, Juan is left alone to deliver a brief a capella interlude, fist pumping and smiling goofily when he pulls off the delivery. The band return on bass and drums to thrash out some of Juan’s better known genre-spanning anecdotal hits, including a nod to bossa nova in the breezy, rhythmic guapa and folk in the tender and intricate rolling guitar-led Water. It’s a shame there are seats tonight; Juan’s music compels you to dance.
But none of this matters to Juan, who gets so excited that he spins on the stage, then spins some more and more until in the next moment he’s careered into the freestanding speaker unit, sending it crashing to the ground. The crowd gasps. Even Juan isn’t sure. Yet, speaker pushed back up and seemingly working he bounds back onto the stage. The innocent sincerity is ever so evident again of someone just vibing off the great time he’s having and wants everyone else to share. It’s why several more near speaker misses occur in quick succession before an a capella encore and more fist bumping return, with his wide-eyed, good feeling groove. And it’s why his fans will probably return to his shows again and again.
