Friday 19th June 2009 @ Fiddlers, Bristol

Once upon a time there was a beautiful band named Bizali. Their sound portrayed a youthful, invincible exuberance, devoid of pain, omitting a blend of feisty funk. Then the couples that fused the group broke down and the members spiralled through the labyrinths of new emotion and into the shattered realms of heartbreak; ‘It’s about embracing the highest levels of bliss and the depths of despair,’ says wildly curled song writer, Aaron Zahl. Quite.

Bizali’s new album, Dance Yourself Alone, takes the audience to their own heart affected places, facilitating an indulgent wallow into the extremities of their own emotional reaches. The best writers are arguably those that have had some form of poignant catastrophe in their lives. It makes them far more appealing to their audience; everyone adores relating themselves to music.

Bizali have gained and grown from their divisions. They have a confidence and stern ambition that transpires through their polished and passionate performance, as displayed tonight. The sound has become more soulful, with a smattering of the rocky, as the sadness, anger and vulnerability twists and turns throughout the album’s tracks but with an overriding, deep feeling of love that Blythe Pepino’s quirky, smooth voice and genuinely feeling performance communicates. Of course, she must understand it the most.

The band received huge levels of affection from the packed Fiddlers audience as they jumped to the electro beats in Dawn and swayed to the funky folk of Friday. Tears Spark The Flames resonated as its high notes shot through the steamy air and the guitars and drums prompted energetic dancing. The band were joined onstage by a host of other musicians and dancers towards the end (there thirteen of them up there at one point!) for Cogs and the mighty Calm, displaying a synchronicity and prompting a real stomp; the girls’ paper streaming outfits going berserk. The only negative thing all night was a lack of an encore. Encore Bizali! We all want more!!

www.bizali.co.uk

Helen Martin
Photos by Bex Wade