Sunday 22nd November 2009 @ Colston Hall, Bristol
With Support Frm: La Troba Kung Fu

Ojos de Brujo had obviously not brought the weather with them from Barcelona but they certainly raised the temperature inside the wind and rain battered Colston Hall with an electric, flamboyant performance. Fellow Barcelonese group, La Troba Kung Fu, had ensured siesta time was well and truly over with a highly energetic set which set the precedence for Ojos de Brujo.

The nine-piece band, whose name translates into English as ‘Sorcerers Eyes’, describe their fusion style as jipjop flamenkillo – flamenco with a hip-hop twist – although lots of other influences from Arabic to Afro-Cuban could also be detected. The same description could have also applied to lead vocalist Marina Abad’s outfit; a beautiful traditional polka dot flamenco dress, bright feather boas and headscarf accompanied with a pair of Puma trainers.

Each member of the group played a pivotal role in contributing to this magnificent blend of music, from Carlitos on the trumpet to Javi on the speaker-destroying bass guitar, also including the master of all things percussion, Xavi. Marina’s vocals, which ranged from soft and angelic to harsh and passionate, were complimented perfectly by the equally talented, all-beatboxing, all-rapping Maxwell Wright, especially on Todo Tiende which features on Techari.

The majority of the set consisted of songs from their latest album Aocaná that included Tantas Flores, which infused the Middle Eastern sounding tabla with the traditional flamenco guitar and if that wasn’t enough, DJ Panko added some scratching for good measure. The set also included well-known favourites Calé Barí and Tiempo de Soleá from the album Barí that had the crowd singing and clapping along, or mouthing words that sound similar, as was the case for much of the monolingual Bristolian crowd. There appeared to be a large Spanish contingent in the audience, easily identifiable by their rhythmic dancing and cries of ‘Ole’ throughout the night, as opposed to the rest who were clapping offbeat and shuffling in a very English way.

Unfortunately, as this is the UK, the party couldn’t continue until the early hours of the morning – they would only just be warming up in Spain. So, like a matador soaking up the adoration of his fans, Ojos de Brujo left the stage to a rousing farewell after a sublime live performance.

www.ojosdebrujo.com

David Higgs