Gallery: Chico Trujillo @ EartH (London; Wednesday 13th November 2019)
Earth Hackney hosted a vibrant show by Chico Trujillo as part of their 20th anniversary European Tour, Mambo Mundial. But this wasn’t an ordinary gig. It set the stage for a small protest against the current Chilean president for the handling of the riots currently engulfing their home country.
At 9pm on the dot, the lead singer “Macha” jumped on stage wearing his beanie hat and a black t-shirt with a black Chilean flag, singing “tus besos son” (your kisses are), a cool adaptation of the tropical song by Colombian singer Rodolfo Aicardi, sending everyone into a cumbia dancing frenzy. Slowly, more Chilean flags came up from within the crowd.
The show followed with a great repertoire of tropical, as well as Andean, rhythms, with hints of ska, hip hop and rock. Towards the end, the lead singer invited a group of followers from the crowd to deliver their message against the Chilean president. Then the show continued with another popular song that sent everybody jumping and dancing.
If fans thought this was going to be another ordinary gig, they were in for something special. This band doesn’t shy away from activism and showing solidarity with their adoring fans in such turbulent times for the people of Chile.
Shakespeare said it all with ‘If music be the food of love, play on’. Music is the blood that runs through the veins of our very best human experiences. Celebration. Expression. Dance. Evolution. Art. Intimacy. Communication. Due to COVID-19 restrictions we have no longer been able to congregate for performance…
This year, we only got a glimpse of the music bonanza offered by the Womad UK weekend. Our stay in Malmesbury consisted of a hit-and-run or a ‘toccata-and-fugue’, in-keeping with the musical topic, and saw us pay a visit to Charlton Park on the last day of the event. Still,…
They came, they played, we danced all night to their wild cumbia vibes! That’s, in a few words, the recap of the short, but intense, London visit of Chico Trujillo. Between one gig and another of their Euro tour, the Chilean band found the time and energy to turn Rich…
It happened little more than a year ago. On a quiet April night, London was stormed by a cyclone cumbiero. Camden and the Electric Ballroom were battered by the uptempo rhythms coming from Valparaiso and branded distinctly as Chico Trujillo. The sound of the band from Vila Alemana (a few…
The historical Electric Ballroom in the heart of Camden Town, was indeed a ballroom on April 27th. Few bands are able to make the audience dance from the beginning until the very end, but Chico Trujillo is definitely one of them, with their music making it physically impossible to stay…
As it’s happening since 2001, for ten days in April, London sounds and plays Latino. The responsibility rests on ¡COMO NO! which, 15 years ago, started to organise one of the most chéveres Festivals of the London music scene. La Linea has indeed brought to the British capital some of the finest,…
There are no comments
Add yours