Papangu and Bad Bebop took to the stage at Basement Cultural in Curitiba last Wednesday, October 23rd. After some problems organizing the event, the long-awaited day finally arrived, and not even the light rain dampened the spirits of those present. There was plenty of high-quality and interesting merchandise.
The band members were attending to everyone, telling their stories and explaining the origins of their album artwork and songs, especially their album Lampião Rei . It was a true history lesson, delivered with great friendliness and intelligence.
Bad Bebop with respectable original songs
The excitement kicked off with the first band, Bad Bebop from Paraná, who energized the crowd with a powerful yet melodic metal sound. They even ventured into some hard rock riffs, showing they'd done their homework. They were always very friendly and good-humored.
The band played their best-known songs, with a highlight being the track "One Last Time," from their second album, Last Call to Mars , released in August of this year. The current lineup of the group includes José Trindade on vocals, Roger Larsen on bass, Henrique Bertol on guitar, and Celso Costa on drums.
Finally, after a very good show, which could have been longer given the band's quality, the intermission for equipment changes arrived. By this time, the Basement Cultural venue was already full of event supporters and band fans, making it even more crowded. There was also a feeling of camaraderie and partnership between musicians and the audience.
'Turn on the light,' here comes Papangu!
Finally, the time has come for the most surprising progressive band of today to take the stage: Papangu, whose name was inspired by a figure from Northeastern Brazilian folklore, embodying elements of mystery, humor, and satire.
In fact, all the musicians simply master their instruments, and everything, literally, serves to create their music, heavy with MPB (Brazilian Popular Music) tones. They even used plastic puppets to imitate sounds and complement the mood of the songs.
Papangu's new work blends heaviness, baião, MPB, maracatu, jazz, and synthesizer influences from the 70s. Guitarist Rodolfo and bassist Pedro steer the music towards jazz-rock, while drummer Vitor stands out with a unique performance, combining triangle and drums.
The current members of the group are Hector Ruslan on guitar and vocals, Marco Mayer on bass, vocals, guitar and synthesizer, Nichollas Jaques on drums and Rai Accioly on guitar.
During their performance of "Bacia das Almas," the band, more at ease than ever, dominated the venue. The band's personality in relation to the music becomes even more evident on the intimate stage. The connection and energy between musicians and audience is very clear. Each song is a surprise, a mix of jazz, rock, harmony, heaviness, and lyrical content. They are stories with interpretation and a soundtrack.
They followed with some tracks from the new album Lampião Rei, highlighting “Acende a Luz”, the eccentric and heavy “Boitatá”, and the regional sound with jazz and lots of percussion in “Maracutaia”. In short, it was an exceptional show. The venue wasn't completely full, unfortunately. However, for those who were there, it was a peculiar Wednesday.
Check out the photos from the show taken by Vladimir Silverio :
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