spectrum of sound

It is strange to title an article after a date but this was no ordinary day. It provided an opportunity to experience the full spectrum of live music here in el DF. Sauce Boxeador is a small, somewhat run down venue on the borders of Roma and La Zona Rosa. It plays an important role in providing a space for young starter bands to strut their stuff among friends.

With an afternoon gig planned most weekends those present are made up of the members of the five or six bands in the line-up. It is very much a plug in and play attitude without time for sound checks (or seems tuning!). Each band thrashes out their music as the next band on waits impatiently at the side. Missed chords and beats are often part of the set, but as the musicians grimace in embarrassment the crowd can empathise with their situation and all music is well received.

By putting so many new bands on a line-up so early in the day Sauce Boxeador is making a real contribution to the development of talent here in the city and usually there is a quality surprise later. This time La Social from Sonora played to introduce their strong debut album “Galaxia Radicalizada” (Iguana Records). A visit to one of these events may bring you into contact with a nascent Zoë and give you something to tell your friends a few years down the line.

From one extreme to the other, Teatro Metropolitan hosted the album launch for the “realised” Zoë the same evening. A full house packed what is probably the most visual appealing venue in the city. It was, it has to be said, a rather strange affair. A 20:15start with no support seemed to catch the crowd somewhat off guard. New material from the album was received rather tentatively until "Via Lactea" solicited some positive response. As the evening wore on the audience responded more positively in true "sing along" fashion. "Dead" was received almost as well as some of the older classics, it is interesting how tracks can make the transition from new to old favourites in a relatively short space of time.

The combination of light and sound incredibly impressive but the visuals were somewhat disappointing. At 21:45 Zoë were gone, maybe 75 minutes (taking into account time off stage) of entertainment for around 450 pesos. Radiohead played longer, with support, for less money in San Diego the weekend before (in a country with 4 times per capita income). This was a night for the diehard (and liquid) Zoë fan, and an exercise in "price descrimination" by the organisers, maybe justifiable given the sea of unlicenced products outside (including the album for 10 peso).

Finally back to the reality of the indie scene in el DF. Dos97 with el Hombre Bala, Furland and Fredric Pope. A relatively light crowd participated in a fun evening at this popular venue. The quality of the music is undeniable but often the message fails to reach all those who might be interested. Herein lies the dilemma in new music here in the capital.

Getting the price and the promotion right are key to developing the scene to its full potential. The bands are doing all they can. El Hombre Bala is presently focused on a project of making their live experience more "personal". Name tags for everyone and balloons filling the air encouraging everyone in the place (even the bouncers and staff) to get involved. Furland continued the show playing with a new found confidence gained from their contract with EMI. The quality of the musicianship in this group is really quite outstanding. Finally Fredric Pope with a strong suggestion of "Britpop" rounded of a solid evening’s entertainment for 50 pesos.

The event at Dos97 was representative of what the concert going public can expect from the indie scene here in the city at the moment, quantity and quality and price combined to give great value for money. Perhaps in order to fully appreciate it the other two experiences of the day were necessary to provide a suitable context.

spectrum of sound - Saturday 15 july 2006

gigs + free tickets + venues + bands + labels + articles + links + stuff + discs + home