Narc. Magazine Online
Reliably informed
Tom Astley delights in a night of 70s-swamped Cumbia, dancing and bongos
Cat-swinging enthusiasts were left disappointed at a packed to the gunwales Star & Shadow on a school night. Los Bitchos ripped through a kinetic set that seemed brief, but had the crowd moving to their signature 70s-swamped Cumbia sound with a sense of joy that radiated out from the stage, and was reciprocated by the crowd.
Lead guitarist Serra Petale fronts the band with an electric enthusiasm, eyes wide and cajoling the crowd through sheer excitement at the songs. Comments on the band’s sound always seem to reference Tarantino, and with that tremolo-chorus-reverb drenched guitar sound, that affinity for 70s obscura, it’s an easy reference point. But Los Bitchos are more generous, more sincere than Tarantino’s kitsch ‘borrowing’ from the past. Los Bichos have a passion for a living style of music, not more nostalgic post-modernism.
In a week that began with such staid pomp – so much music to stand still to – it was a relief to be reminded of this other Britain; a place where styles and sounds from everywhere can find a niche, find an audience; where people can cheer spontaneously for a bongo solo, dancing unabashedly, shouting into each other’s ears as Cumbia plays.
