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Rating: One year after that fantastic live experience at the Galleria d'arte B5, where Marta performed an acoustic duo for a few close friends without the use of amplification and effects (which I reviewed..), this time I am going to listen to them in a more rock version.
Despite the weather advising against traveling, I set off as usual from Latina to go to Rome to attend yet another live show. The turnout is really good, there's no crowding but there's enough people to fill the venue from end to end, also because after Marta there's going to be a rock disco waiting for May Day.
Marta sui Tubi. After a decent wait and the warmth beginning to wrap around the room, they take the stage accompanied by a warm applause..." Guardami spingimi come chi mi guarda, spingimi guardami spingi come chi mi guarda.."...the concert begins with one of their singles, "Perché non pesi niente". The impact is good, even though the acoustics are not the best, the drums and guitarist Carmelo's voice are okay...while the guitar is a bit mid-rangey, the synths too high, and Giovanni's voice is too enclosed, sometimes the words can't be understood. Resigned to the acoustics, as often happens except at Stazione Birra, I let myself be carried away by the songs and I notice that a lot of the people present know not only the band but also the lyrics, a result of the good reputation the guys are rightly carving out, thanks to their qualities and the many concerts held in the past year (over 100!).
The set offered is a best of the first and second albums, "Muscoli e dei" and "C'è gente che devedormire ", interrupted by a break after about a dozen songs. It goes from the electric "L'equilibrista", "Stichichezza cronica", "L'amaro amore", where Carmelo uses a distortion pedal on the acoustic guitar and hammers the strings, "Ti mento" with a noisy ending, "6 Dicembre"... to the more acoustic and better executed ones "Cenere" with a stunning and perfect high note held suspended by Giovanni at the beginning of the chorus, the acclaimed "Vecchi difetti" sung by the entire audience, the second single from the album "L'abbandono","Sono un infinitesimo di me di te, solo una parte infinitesima", another piece appreciated by those present, with the ending extended to give even more emphasis to the phrase, the vocal duet between Giovanni and Carmelo in "31 Lune".
In the setlist, there are two nice novelties: one of their songs played for the first time but still presumably without a title as it wasn't announced, with a very interesting instrumental crescendo finale and surprisingly, the cover of the Pixies "Where is my mind" recognized by everyone also because it's featured in the movie "Fight Club". For Giovanni, there's also time to joke with the audience, first responding to someone shouting "ruffians!" at him, then making fun of Cristicchi's hit "Ti regalerò una rosa" and complaining about the heat wrapping around his bald head. But the best phrase belongs to an enthusiastic Carmelo: "Guys from up here it's beautiful, there's so many of you and it's amazing to play in front of so many people....I wish you all experience the same emotion at least once in your life!" and here comes the applause...then he invites people to come up on stage but since we weren't seeing Nirvana, no one takes the invitation seriously.
After almost two hours of concert, they say goodbye and my brain starts processing its considerations: as always they demonstrated being very technically skilled, they made no mistakes, the songs are almost all engaging and they know how to hold the stage, there are some "buts": having originated as an acoustic duo and thus having the songs with an acoustic approach, sometimes the drums, even though Ivan Paolini plays well, Giovanni's effects and the desire to make the songs more boisterous make them lose a bit of magic, mainly putting the wonderful vocal interplay between Giovanni and Carmelo during the concert, and Giovanni's own voice, technical and clean, in the background.
Strange to say, they don't really need to hide behind effects or rock strategies. Bare, guitar and two voices, they are much better. I hope sooner or later to have another opportunity to listen to them as a duo, maybe in a small club.
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