Os Mutantes at the Barbican last night

Frosty Jack · May 23, 2006

Anyone make it in the end? incredible gig, worth the 33 year wait would be massive understatement.

I thought the female singer, in the place of the intentionally absent Rita Lee carried it off well, but the magic was in the chemistry between brothers Sergio Dias, and Arnaldo Baptista, the latter who has spent most of the last 2 decades in treatment after numerous breakdowns, suicide attempts, and not performed any music in public since. He was the provider of a few classic moments; his head dropping into his hands as his brother started playing a song about mental illness, and he made a valiant attempt at a headstand at the end of the set.

They both wore cloaks.

The songs sounded stunning, they built slowly, the second half of the set was the most well known material; A minha menina, Bat macumba (featuring an 'impromptu' appearance by Devandra Bahnhart and a hairball friend, which prompted initial curiosity in some, but for most just "who the f*** are you?".

They ended the show with Panis et Circenses, in its English translation.

Jumped up and frugged to El Justiciero (in which Sergio aimed a little swipe at Tony Blair), 2001, and a few other numbers at the beginning, only to have a couple behind me, who were practically asleep, telling my girlfriend and I to sit down (half the capacity crowd were already standing up and dancing).

Tip for these two party animals: f*** you. don't go to any concert, let alone this, attended by over 1000 dancing brazilians, and ask ANYBODY to sit down. By the end of the show, everybody was standing anyway, and I was sorely tempted to ask them whether it was okay to stand up and dance to the songs that they knew, but what would've been the point, continuing to impair their line of sight was a far more effective protest.

I've never actually been inside the Barbican before either, I had no idea it looked quite like that, the city of tomorrow, yesterday. If they come back, and you like the records, I implore you to see them live, they're touring the states very soon too.

Ostrich Man · May 23, 2006

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