I Cani + Neoprimitivi

Nine years have passed since the last performances by Niccolò Contessa, nine years that haven't dimmed the affection audiences feel for the songs of his project, I Cani. After all, not putting himself forward too much, staying deliberately on the sidelines, has always been one of the hallmarks of the Roman musician — just think back to the band's earliest appearances, when he'd show up with his face hidden inside a paper bag, like a bread bag, or the first interviews that gave off a distinctly nerdy air. Niccolò is someone who has never liked being thrust onto magazine covers, and you can sense it just by watching him after a show, when with all his unassuming manner and without a trace of star attitude, he spends time with fans and friends, beer in hand and cap on head, almost trying to blend into the structure of the Atlantico, where he'd finished playing barely fifteen minutes earlier.

The songs from "Post Mortem", released last April, alternating with the classics from the three previous albums (plus "Nascosta in piena vista", released exclusively as a single) made for a set of real substance, a litmus test for an entire generation that still sees itself perfectly reflected, fully represented, in those tracks. Songs that, starting out from specific corners of Rome, became universal, lighting the fuse at the dawn of the 2010s for the wave of it-pop that would go on to produce numerous commercial hits, from Edoardo Calcutta onward.

Once dismissed by many as a manufactured hipster phenomenon, today Niccolò Contessa comes across on stage as the authoritative leader of a band in constant balance between singer-songwriter moments (the opening "Io no") and an infectious indie-pop sound capable of synthesizing Baustelle, pop-punk and wave-derived sounds, with hooks that haven't aged a day, still perfect to sing and sing again endlessly.

We caught one of the five Rome dates on the tour supporting "Post Mortem", a tour that kicked off a full six months after the album's release — an unusual choice, as if to demonstrate the intention of performing those songs only once they had truly taken root in the collective memory of fans and the curious alike.

It's a record that has proven hugely popular with the fanbase, as you could tell from the crowd's reaction during "Buco nero" and "Colpo di tosse", placed back to back right at the start of the set. But it's above all the older tracks, the ones from "Il sorprendente album d'esordio dei cani" (2011) and the follow-up "Glamour" (2013), that set the atmosphere alight (and sparked the pogo), starting with "Come Vera Nabokov" and continuing along a common thread that runs through the entire show, reaching its conclusion to the strains of "Lexotan", performed with the lights up, as Contessa throws himself into the arms of the crowd.

Among the strengths of this tour, it's worth highlighting the quality of the opening bands, chosen with the aim of giving visibility to some of the best emerging names on the national scene, personally selected by Contessa himself, including Giulia Impache, Laguna Bollente, Asino, Gaia Rollo, I Ragazzi Stanchi, ONDAKEIKI, EX Men. The Rome dates on November 18th and 19th were opened by Neoprimitivi, turning the two evenings into a genuine 42 Records showcase, a label that continues to prove itself among the sharpest in Italy at spotting new artists and new trends.

The six musicians, lined up across the stage, performed “Sul globo d’argento” (the title track from their debut album “Orgia mistero”), a suite running over twenty minutes that blends, with complete naturalness, the psychotropic psychedelia of Spiritualized with the motorik drive of Can, alternating garage guitar (and keyboard — there are three keyboardists on stage) onslaughts with ambient expanses, a condensed version of the band's long studio improvisations. With no reverential fear whatsoever, Neoprimitivi then offer their own personal take on “Sister Ray”, the Velvet Underground classic, closing out an intense half hour that all too easily points to a bright future ahead.

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