Ojos de Brujo at The Roundhouse

Back to The Roundhouse last night to see the marvelous Ojos de Brujo with Chris, sitting at the front of the balcony, centre-stage and with a great view (apart from one of the pillars but that's an aspect of the Roundhouse I quite like).

I found Ojos when I was surfing for Latin music when I got back from Mexico last year - I didn't want traditional stuff, but something a bit more dangerous and Ojos fit the bill perfectly. Latin rhythms, lots of percussion, some hip-hop singing, blended 'world music' and some flamenco thrown in for good measure. And they're from Barcelona (one of my favourite cities). I *like* Ojos and their 'Techari' album is great fun.

I've got no idea who they are, what they've done before joining Ojos or even what they sing about (since I don't speak Spanish) but I love the overall sound they make. Seeing them live was a bit of an adventure - what on earth would happen?

What happened was an excellent concert, excellent music, great singing, an interesting slide show/video show on the big screen and fabulous flamenco dancing. The band came on and started playing and a woman in all her haughty proudness stood still at the front of the stage, spotlighted and waiting... and then she started moving, feet pounding and heels clicking, arms throwing dramatic shapes and her skirt started whirling, faster and faster she moved and I just stared. How do dancers get their feet to move so quickly?

As she left the stage on came Marina to great applause and cheers, Marina being the main Ojos singer. I thought 'what's Macy Gray doing here?' since she was dressed like Macy was the last time I saw her. When she opened her mouth it was plain she was no Macy, a great voice but very different. And from there on in it was one wild song after another for about two and quarter hours (my favourite being an extended version of the Indian tinged 'Todo Tiende').

Marina took most of the vocals but sometimes Maxwell (that good old Catalan name) took the lead with his hip-hop/rap stylings. All the band had their moment in the spotlight with solos and the three percussionists did a collective solo giving the rest of the band a break. They brought on various guests to either sing or play with them, a collective that can grow or contract as needed and the flamenco dancer appeared a few times throughout the set to do her stuff or join the backing vocals. A great spectacle of colour, sound and motion, Marina and Maxwell prowling the stage exhorting the audience to move and sing.

Ojos de Brujo were great fun and I'd definitely see them again. A gig in Barcelona would be an interesting experience...