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Rating: AGGHIASTRU live January 26, 2008 Bike & Rock Manduria - Taranto
The last time the Sicilian storyteller set foot in Puglia was in 2004, more precisely in Massafra. Now it's Manduria's turn and the Bike & Rock. The concert begins punctually at 11:00. Following is the performance of Agghiastru's own INCHIUVATU. The audience is prepared, thanks to the release of the debut CD 'INCANTU' and the information available on various websites, MySpace in primis. Prepared, I said, to hear from Agghi's piano a music genre that mixes the Sicilian charm already present in 'Addisìu', but also new indie/rock veins, not to mention rhythmic craziness like bossa nova, punk, jazz/folk, etc. The venue is dark. Agghiastru takes the stage and turns on a table lamp placed on the piano, pours himself some wine as part of a ceremony, lights a cigar, with the air of someone who stumbled upon this place by chance but decided to wait for someone or something. The first piano notes announce "L'Incantu". Agghiastru begins to whisper the entire disappointment of love gone wrong, which reduces men and women to shadows of themselves. Second track, (he gave me the setlist) "Sangu", with the drummer starting to pound hard on the drums. And here the small lights come on, for Agghiastru, his artificial sky. As usual, the audience slowly gets involved in the original musical/theatrical performance. "Ferru e Focu", "Carennu", songs that pour emotions on a very attentive audience. Here's a bloodstained sheet and the bizarre "La Stanza", it says: "rightly or wrongly, there was a time in the south when virginity was considered a value..." all these emotions are encapsulated in the song, "La Stanza", indeed, for me, one of the most convincing of the evening. It's time for a psychedelic "Curù", with the drums reminding me of certain things by Blonde Redhead, and Agghiastru vainly searching for his heart... lost along the way. There's the music box of "Parìa", "Tintatu", and for the first time live, "Rosa". Beautiful and elegant. Again, theater. "La Morti" with people clapping the rhythm with their hands, and "Nichea" with the cane whistle, says: "I will play you something with this simple piece of cane, producing an agro/sweet music like the land I come from, and I hope it takes you away from that reality which, sometimes, we can't face," (I have it memorized by now). And down with the top hat, it would also be time to change it, huh...! The show concludes with the legendary "Addisiu", "Unia", "Scurusu". In short, a show full of emotions, to share as always with people who have made Agghiastru's stories their own.
Quick stage change, and here are INCHIUVATU. As for Agghiastru's show, I can only give praises upon praises. The show of the Sicilian metal band did not convince me at all. The whole thing seemed self-celebratory. The songs were shot at full speed, and a silent Agghiastru (rare thing) juggling between guitar and keyboard, and a sip of wine... In short, I think that ten years of history deserved more calm and attention. The execution was good in the end, the sound, and the audience appreciated it, which is significant, but perhaps due to the little time left (Agghiastru had planned to play for three hours, while by one-thirty they had to stop) I remain convinced that the Inchiuvatu show was not one of the best. Excessively compressed.
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