Shugo Tokumaru live in Barcelona 2013

I discovered Shogu a couple of years ago via 8tracks, someone had included his cheerful and uplifting Lahaha in a mix and it  just blew my mind. One doesn’t need to understand the lyrics to get carried away by the sound produced by a myriad of  different instruments used, the pace of the rythm leading to a growing momentum and the sweet sound of his voice on top of it all.

So when I heard he was playing at sala [2] in Barcelona I knew it was gonna be a great Friday night.

The show started with a chipper Fanny Roz playing barefoot and inviting the audience to become part of the show. Born in France but signed up in Catalan label Bcore, she sang and played beautifully, telling different stories on every song.

It was then the turn of Shugo Tokumaru and his 2 member band: a motivated drummer with a soothing smile radiating passion and happiness and an extremely talented girl who would play a dozen of instruments such as accordion, keyboard, xylophone, flute, woodblocks, chimes and even a puppet!

Shugo, who also performed barefoot, and his band played some of the new songs from In Focus such as Katachi or Decorate and previous hits such as Lahaha or Laminate. The connivance with the audience was obvious and when he grabbed an ukelele and started playing the first notes of Video Killed The Radio Stars it all became a sing-along ensemble.

I took a video of the show, even if the sound is not perfect, it will give you an idea of the positive energy and general state of happiness that could be felt during the show.

If you have the chance go see Shugo live!

Fresh Feeling in Barcelona – The Eels Concert

Last Saturday 27th April 2013, five guys dressed up in an Adidas tracksuit, dark sunglasses and mandatory beards performed a master class on how concerts should be. Lead by genious Mark Oliver Everett, aka Mr. E, the band from California landed in sala Barts with an energizing rocking mood, ready to overwhelm the audience with a series of fast tracks, some great classics, many of jokes mixed with signs of affection and commitment. But most of all that fresh, fresh feeling.

If you’ve heard a little bit about the band you’ll know that every tour is different and for the presentation of the latest album “Wonderful, Glorious“, maybe not the best but definitely a good one, Mr E and his musketeers chose to rock the house!

 

You can check the set list here, but the most important thing about the show wasn’t which songs from their endless repertoire they played, but the energy they put in it. After reading “Things the grandchildren should know” I just don’t get how Mark Oliver Everett is able to transmit such powerful positive feelings when playing. I was left with a “Life is worth living” feeling.

 Eels has been one of favourite bands since I discovered Beautiful Freaks back in the old days. Since then I have been mesmerized by Mr. E’s talent. Dreaming about this someone who is able to tell you “One day the world will be ready for you -And wonder how they didn’t see”.