File Transfer Complete: Show Review: I'm From Barcelona @ De Helling

The I'm From Barcelona show of last night was much anticipated at FTC Headquarters. Before the show I was already certain that this was going to be quite the experience...and it was.

Moss (from Amsterdam) had the pleasure of opening for these crazy Swedes and they did it well. No matter the style of music, it's always nice to see good musicians at work and that was definitely the case at hand. I expect to hear more from this solid indierock/pop band that will release their debut album through Exelsior in a few months.

The main dish: I'm from Barcelona! I was afraid that the band would show up at minimal strength, but from the number of microphones on stage it was obvious that they were with plenty: I counted 20 Swedes. They played a festival in France the night before and after a 12 hour busdrive they were anxious to play. From the Barcelona intro (Freddy Mercury style) until the last song, this band was all over the place. My expectations were high, but actually I enjoyed myself so much more than expected.

First let me try to paint a picture of the setting: a dozen instruments (ukulele, tuba, flute, xylophone, keyboards etc.), bubble blowing and so many people on stage that you don't know where to look. They seem to perform with only one goal: giving the audience as good a time as they're having themselves. Their enthusiasm is so contagious that in no time you find yourself participating with handclaps, hip shaking, headbopping, handwaving, almost dancing (I'm not a dancer) and smiling...lots of smiles. In fact...I don't believe the grin lost my face during the show, which went by much too fast (time flies when you're...exactly).

Though I wished they played more songs, I liked what they did with the ones they did play, adding elements, slowing and speeding them up and stretching them out. They added the chorus of Madonna's 'Like a Prayer' at the end of 'Rec and Play' and played a new song that was inspired by the fascinating though akward documentary Grizzly Man. After telling the audience that the bubble making machine was broken and some people started chanting "We want Bubbles", singer Emanuel Lundgren created a new song ("We want Bubbles") on the spot. Another example of his improve skills was replacing the "damn!" in the song 'Oversleeping' with the Dutch translation "verdomme".

This band should be added to your must see list. Sure, it might be a little to happy for your taste, but I guarantee that you have a great time. It was a shame that so few people decided to come to this party (I don't believe attendance reached more than a 100), but in the end everyone was standing as close to the stage as possible, smiling and dancing. Not a soul left the building dissappointed and for one evening the world seemed a happy place (Ok, I can't believe I've just said that...).

I don't know...you just had to be there I guess! By the way, I found this awesome acoustic video (thanx to LaBlogotheque) which you might like.

Video: I'm From Barcelona - We're From Barcelona