Valentina Dorme

This evening will stay in my memory for the difficulties encountered on the drive between Bologna and the remote Galliera Veneta: once off the highway at Padua we immediately found ourselves surrounded by a monotonous landscape of fields, houses and factories; needless to say, finding the out-of-the-way little town was quite a challenge. No matter, though - the evening turned out to be an enjoyable one.

Opening the night were By Popular Demand, a genuine surprise for me given the young age of the four members and, above all, the conviction and freshness they showed: their rock'n'roll, splashed with noise touches and happy melodic ideas, warmed up the atmosphere just right.

Right after, Valentina Dorme took the stage, currently touring behind their latest release, "Capelli Rame" (Fosbury Records), which perfectly captures the potential of a mature, engaging band.

The set opens with "Una colt", one of the strongest tracks on "Capelli Rame", played with a certain fury: Italian singer-songwriter tradition and sonic youthfulness blend together in a fresh, convincing way, and Mario Pigozzo Bavero's voice is at times slightly unsettling, especially in the shifts between calm and chaos. Their approach recalls Virginiana Miller, another wonderful band that (unfortunately) too few people know.

The band carries on between sweet melodies and distorted outbursts, with highlights such as "Prova generale", "Claudia Cardinale da giovane", "13" and "Vanessa": what stands out above all is Mario's theatrical vocal delivery, the author of sharp, deeply personal lyrics. They also revisit moments from the band's earlier self-produced work, and tracks like "Agorà" prove that this band has been "the real deal" for a while now.

The concert closes with the gorgeous "Guardare i corvi", where the interplay of soft and loud reaches its peak: the seeming calm of an arpeggio leads us by the hand into the unease of noise that arrives like an outburst, a scream in the middle of nothing, in the silence.

A nothingness that brings to mind the sadness of the surroundings we find ourselves in. The show is over, and the wall of guitars still rings in our ears. We head back to the car, happy to have spent a different kind of Saturday night.

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