On Stage: Indiestad @ Paradiso

Summer time is always a bit quiet when most bands don't release new music and are playing festivals in Europe. But now the summer is coming to an end, things are picking up again. Indiestad kicked off the weeks that lie ahead of us where the days are getting shorter and colder, but the clubs are heating up. So they invited three bands to play on one evening: Snail Mail, Imarhan and Blonde Redhead.

Indiestad at Paradiso Amsterdam, August 21 2018

Snail Mail

Lindsey Jordan is drawing quite a bit of attention as Snail Mail lately. Her music is getting very positive feedback and now her name is popping up more and more over here too. She's only 19 but already is looking quite confident on stage. Indeed she turns out to be a talented songwriter with quite a good voice. Sometimes when she's raising it, she reminds me of Björk a bit, although her music is different. It is more straight indie rock, but I quite like it. The rest of the band are a bit bleak though and are not really shining on stage. However when they spend a lot of time on the road this might get better as well.



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Imarhan

Completely different is the music of Imarhan, who are from the Algeria. They mix their traditional music with blues, soul and funk. The first half of the show the Malinese roots are playing a big role and the band look a bit overwhelmed. But then they start to feel more comfortable and the music slides into a mix of seventies and eighties funk and soul, that could be taken off those great soundtrack of that era. The very good guitar playing is dominant in the music, but all songs are driven by Algerian rhythms that make them incredibly contagious and it is impossible to stand still.



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Blonde Redhead

The other two bands are kind of supporting bands for Blonde Redhead. Is looks like most people are here tonight to see this trio play. Twin brothers Amedo Pace and Simone Pace together with Kazu Makino are playing a wonderful set of shoegaze and rock music. Simone Pace is playing very tight and powerful drum grooves while Makino and Amedo are taking turns singing and sometimes also switch instruments. Makino's high voice isn't always in tune, but it does fit the music. She's a wonderful performer and the whole band have a very positive appearance. So at the end of the show, the crowd won't let them leave without playing an encore.



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This was another successful Indiestad night, who are able to put three completely different bands together and make it work.

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