Brunori Sas

Brunori Sas is to all intents and purposes one of the most successful Italian artists right now, and the show at the Flog in Florence was the definitive proof: tickets almost sold out, something that rarely happens for non-mainstream Italian acts, along with a crowd extraordinarily invested in the stories sung by the Calabrian singer-songwriter.

It's been an intense couple of years, to say the least, for the would-be entrepreneur Dario Brunori: from the release in 2009 of "Vol.1", to non-stop touring up and down the country, all the way to the recent second album "Vol.2 – Poveri cristi". In this short span of time he's earned critical acclaim and won over an increasingly devoted audience; even the latest record, at times less lighthearted in its portrayal of everyday struggles brought on by the country's economic and social crisis, seems to have hit the mark.

The evening opens with the surreal performance of Maria Antonietta, a kind of irreverent, romantic punk heroine whose vocal attitude recalls Joanna Newsom, with lyrics in Italian. Thanks to the closing tracks, as brazen as they are sincere and melodic, and setting aside a few overly cartoonish moments, she leaves a positive impression, whetting our appetite for her upcoming album out in January, produced by Brunori himself.

Brunori Sas takes the stage at 11:15pm; with "Come stai", or "the opening line into the world", the party for the "poor souls" begins, celebrated by the singer-songwriter from Cosenza together with the many young fans who packed the show. Despite everything, there's a longing for lightheartedness, irony and love in the world of Dario Brunori and his audience: with "Italian dandy" and its deliberately crooked name-dropping, the crowd warms up, belting out the chorus without restraint, while the latest single "Rosa" also goes down a storm, a frantic, melancholy divertissement in the wake of the unforgettable Rino Gaetano.

The nocturnal reflections and feelings of "Una domenica notte" find the Calabrian singer-songwriter visibly moved by the audience's response to a "new" song, before arriving at "the most famous and most sung chorus of Brunori Sas, that of Nanà". For once irony is set aside: there's room for touching sincerity, with words that sum up part of Dario Brunori's ideological premise: "Perché la mia non è una vita speciale, e molto spesso me la devo inventare, perché la mia non è una vita speciale, ed è per questo che la voglio cantare". In praise of ordinary people and poor souls.

The band is tightly knit in performing the songs and helps create an engaging, all-round show; meanwhile, between songs, the head of the Brunori Sas "company" indulges in ironic soliloquies poking fun at his past as a corporate man, as well as at his more romantic songs. Brunori lived in Florence for several years, finding in Matteo Zanobini's far-sighted Pippola Music the label that launched him onto the national stage, so the Tuscan capital takes centre stage in "Lui, lei, Firenze", before the band takes a breather, stepping away for a moment after the tragicomedy of "Animali colletti".

Back on stage, the Calabrian singer-songwriter is alone with his guitar, treating us to "Il pugile" from "Vol.1", which, with its meek grace, is one of the finest moments of the night. We're almost at the close of the show, and there's no way the classic "Guardia '82" can be left out.

Brunori Sas bid us farewell, but only in jest, because they rush back on stage for a song specifically "for all the teenagers at the show", namely "Con lo spray".

Dario Brunori and his loyal band thank the audience, visibly moved: it was indeed a triumphant night for the failed entrepreneur turned Italy's newest belter.

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