El Guapo

El Guapo call and Bologna and its surroundings answer in force. I arrive early at the Covo to avoid exhausting queues and to have a drink in peace; it's the first time I've been back since last year's temporary closure, and nothing has changed: the faces are still the same, the walls still have the usual rock'n'roll images projected onto them, the beer is still overpriced…

Shortly after I arrive, Three in one gentleman suit take the stage, a young trio devoted to a post-rock sound that owes a great deal to early Karate (especially in the vocal lines), the more indie-spirited side of that band; the songs play with the usual "post" formulas: a hazy arpeggio in the verse, a slow crescendo and a distorted explosion in the chorus (if we want to call it that…). A band with decent technical potential and a good stage presence, though a touch more originality wouldn't hurt.

Shortly before the end of their set, I head over to the merch table where the three "guapos" are selling t-shirts and records; I chat with the drummer-bassist-singer and discover a slow-talking, slightly rambling character, kind enough to let me try on one of the band's t-shirts (which I duly buy). Soon after he says goodbye and rushes onto the stage, and, voilà, the "guapos", who just minutes earlier had been standing right in front of me, give way to three possessed, magnetic presences: the drummer is the most frenzied of the three, dancing, thrashing about, wrapping the microphone cable around his neck, while the other two, utterly focused, do their dirty work on the keyboards, conjuring a vortex of low frequencies that literally shake the room and, together with the pulsing electronic drums, build a powerful, gripping wall of sound.

The first 30 minutes of the show are nothing short of exceptional: the songs follow one another almost without pause, with highlights such as "Ocean and sky", "My bird sings", "Glass house", "Underground", "Pick it up" and "Justin destroyer".

The crowd, too big for the small Covo, is easily won over by the frantic beats, sings along to the catchiest tracks and rewards the three ungainly figures on stage with truly extraordinary enthusiasm.

The set, admittedly not too long, catches fire with the gem "Just don't know", unleashing a frenzy of raised hands and a crush of young women giving their all in the insane dance that El Guapo's music inspires.

As inspired as few others working today, the three guys from Washington D.C. got everyone's backside moving just right, entertaining, wrong-footing and, ultimately, winning the crowd over completely. Now all that's left is to wait for Black Eyes…

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