Ministri + Fast Animals And Slow Kids

That Fast Animals & Slow Kids are a kind of hurricane on stage is by now common knowledge, a reputation that also earned the Umbrian quartet a well-deserved nomination at the 2013 Targhe MEI awards for Best Independent Live Act. But seeing them in front of such a large crowd amplifies even further the exploits of Aimone Romizi, the young rocker who moves like a seasoned rockstar, dispensing charisma and uncontainable energy. Having already seen them in more intimate venues, it must be acknowledged that the energy the band puts out stays the same in any situation, regardless of how many people are watching. Three years touring up and down the peninsula have honed the band to a fine edge, and the two albums (plus an EP) released so far have done the rest: now FASK, we can safely say, are ready for the big leap.

Romizi shouts to the Roman crowd: "when will we get another chance like this again, in front of all these people?" Relax, it'll happen again: if Fast Animals keep churning out albums as good as “Hybris”, we'll be seeing them around for a long time yet. Meanwhile, on Friday 6 December at the Atlantico in Rome they opened for Ministri with an absolutely scorching set, blending together their best songs released so far, with "Troia" and "Lei" managing to sublimate the Perugia band's formidable approach. In 45 minutes the whole of the Nineties flashes before our eyes: a truly thrilling sensation. Towards the end of the blistering set, Aimone asks the crowd to buy the record at the merch stand, while also letting everyone know that the tracks can still be found for free download online.

Clearly, after a performance like this, even the thoroughly reliable and seasoned Ministri can come across as an almost "normal" band. The Milanese group has long been a sure thing: four successful, well-received albums have made them one of the leading names on the Italian alternative scene. Brilliant songs, with strong pop roots, which, clad in the abrasiveness of powerful guitars, become real punches to the face. Lyrics that aren't overly complex, but always contain those two or three lines that hit hard and stick with you.

They don't put a foot wrong, and the crowd adores them, belting out every single song (and I mean every single one) in the set. The setlist draws heavily on the recent “Per un passato migliore”, but there's also room for a few old warhorses, including “Gli alberi”, “Noi fuori” and “Dark Times”, which opens the encore, closed out by “Abituarsi alla fine” and a long instrumental outro that marks the end of the night. Tons of energy, but also a couple of intense ballads, “Una palude” and “Il bel canto”, during which Davide “Divi” Autelitano throws himself into an acoustic stage dive that draws spontaneous applause.

Ausgang thus pulled off a great event, joining forces (while still keeping ticket prices genuinely affordable) with two of the most celebrated names on the Italian alternative scene: Ministri, a wonderful confirmation of their quality, and Fast Animals & Slow Kids, ever more surprising.

And filling the Atlantico on a night when there were other hotly anticipated gigs happening around the capital (including Califone and Operaja Criminale) was by no means a given.

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