Marlene Kuntz
Live @ Magnolia, Segrate 11.09.21

A collaboration between Godano and Tesio spanning 30 years, with such a rich musical heritage that just deciding on a setlist must not be a trivial matter in itself.

The temporary inclusion of Sergio Carnevale from Bluevertigo on drums in place of Luca Bergia perhaps allowed for a less licentious track list, adding a more intimate and intense dimension at times reminiscent of Nick Cave's Bad Seeds. The Post Pandemic Tour required consideration of a seated audience and the inability to convey the usual physicality to the audience, hence the need to build a different kind of empathy with the audience, even through storytelling. Marlene has its own aesthetic that manifests in expressive continuity, where Godano's poeticism leaves no trace of the decay of its emotional intensity. It is no coincidence, therefore, that the tracklist begins with "Bellezza" and "Abbraccio" in a successful attempt to enchant the soul and simultaneously seek the beauty around us. It's a beginning with familiar sounds, but functional to gear up for what will become the true pinnacle of the concert: "Negli abissi fra i palpiti." A song that, like the album "Uno" from which it is taken, breaks away from the stylistic clichés of guitar intricacies, returning a simplicity akin to songwriting, but here it takes on an impressive musical volume. It turns out to be so powerful in the end that it triggers 5 long minutes of uninterrupted applause, leaving the band literally speechless and visibly moved. The empathic force built is so real that Cristiano offers an explanation of the song's exegesis and how the creative moment developed. With "Ti giro intorno," they return to well-trodden paths, and it will be the only piece taken from "Il Vile," which was extensively represented on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of its release in the eponymous "Onorate il Vile" tour of 2017, to then give way to "La canzone che scrivo per te," which is the only moment that we might define as "mainstream" of the concert, also giving a slight nod to the vinyl release of Bella Ciao with Skin. "Schiele, lei, me" is preceded by the second moment of interaction with the audience, where Godano pauses to explain the influence of painting on his aesthetic and the importance of capturing expressive details, in this case, the deformed hands of the people depicted by Egon Schiele, an early 20th-century Viennese expressionist painter and follower of Klimt, who through them expresses his inner torment. And it is only after "A fior di Pelle" that Marlene definitively takes flight. "Lieve" is welcomed with applause. "Catartica" is the record that allowed Marlene to become known and earn the title of Italian Sonic Youth. A track that, while remaining true to itself over the years, has always been refined, reaching a unique potency that somehow branded "being Marlene." There is nothing that sounds like them in Italy. They are simply unique in style and rigor. And it is no coincidence that "Io e me" follows immediately after, because starting from the lyrics:

"And when you're convinced that it's better this way

And it seems that your cunning will triumph

And when you're... and when you're sure of yourself

and you feel that you're not wrong, absolutely not!

Well... treasure it, because it will come

tattered and rapacious it will come

solitude upon you.

solitude upon you"

it becomes clear that Marlene is not a product subject to mystification and are not "a throwaway nor a market product" as CCCP would have said. "Io e me" stands for "me myself and I" paraphrasing De La Soul "mirror mirror on the wall, tell me mirror what is wrong". There is nothing wrong with MK; there is an almost Bushido spirit where they perfectly embody the law of Yu Heroic Courage and Makoto Complete Sincerity. Lagash is impressive, holding the bass like a kalashnikov, and his hieratic figure does the rest. In this too, MK is unique in representing their lineup: Cristiano in the center dressed in white, while all other members in black with Riccardo Tesio emotionless on one side and Lagash on the other with his majestic figure almost protecting all and behind them Davide Arneodo, a multi-instrumentalist, called to develop the side akin to Neusterzende Neubauten of the group. And then Sergio Carnevale... simply majestic with precise and never overbearing drumming. The piece is then closed with electric distortions in loop and echo to Sonic Youth.

And so we head towards the conclusion with the final encore of "Niente di nuovo", a fabulous "Ineluttabile", and finally "Nuotando nell'aria", managing with just 3 songs to holistically summarize their history, closing right where it started in 1987.

setlist

1. Bellezza
2. Abbraccio
3. Catastrofe
4. Negli abissi fra i palpiti
5. Musa
6. Ti giro intorno
7. La canzone che scrivo per te
8. Schiele, lei,me
9. A fior di pelle
10. Lieve
11. Io e me
12. Niente di nuovo
13. Ineluttabile
14. Nuotando nell'aria