Watussi @ The Metro Theatre, Sydney (23/03/12)
Coming from consecutive sold out shows at The Basement; Watussi showed us they are more than capable of stepping up and commanding The Metro Theatre. And by bringing their South American flair and energetic stage show to a packed house, this band proved they are ready for bigger and better tours in the future.
Opening with Alphamama and her all-female support band was a perfect warm-up for the growing crowd. With Alphamama’s sultry voice and her ferocious stage presence she was able to grab the attention of a crowd that was still more interested in socialising than the show.
Alphamama’s set captured the different influences of her music, with styles ranging from modern hip-hop through to soul and reggae. Unfortunately, passion and lyrical journey of her slower track was lost to the crowd already hyped up by the upbeat songs, and broke the building dance atmosphere. However, Alphamama was clearly appreciated by the crowd, ending her set with an encore.
Following the dynamism of Alphamama’s set was a DJ set, wih DJ Roleo. As with many live shows featuring DJ set, the crowd was almost at a loss as to what was happening. Roleo’s set featured a heavy hip hop beat with remixes of Jimmy Hendrix’s Purple Haze as well as mixes of modern club songs and African tribal beats. Without an engaging stage show, Roleo lost the crowds attention with most people catching up with friends rather than dancing.
Following DJ Roleo’s lacklustre set was True Vibenation, a three-piece band that combined hip-hop vocals, a DJ, a trumpet and 2 saxophones that built an unexpected and well-composed set. While the crowd took a bit to catch-up with the trio, once they were there, The Metro transformed into thriving hip-hop club with the bump and grind of wall-to-wall dancing.
The trio kept their set fresh with the inclusion of the trumpet and two saxophones, which gave them a great element of originality and a jazz-inspired sound to certain songs. They also used a strong flamenco base through one of their tracks to add a Latino flavour that sat perfectly with the background of much of the crowd. Their set brought the crowd’s energy soaring and worked as a bridge between the earlier hip-hop sound of DJ Roleo and the Latin flavour of Watussi.
The set of Tropicante Sound Sistema, a collective of DJs, went both unannounced and unnoticed. Their tracks all seemed pre-recorded and worked more as the music played between sets rather than a set itself. However, their sound fitted perfectly with Latin-Reggae mix and kept the crowd on their feet dancing and excited for Watussi’s set.
Watussi joined the stage to the cheers of crowd that couldn’t wait for their set to start. And they didn’t disappoint. Their set was full of energy and Latin flair all brought together with their dynamic lead Oscar Jimenez. With an eight-piece band that played around 20 individual instruments during the set, they kept up the intensity and the interest of the crowd.
Playing to a crowd that had a big South American background, Watussi combined traditional South American rhythms and styles with their own modern interpretations. Their melding of the two was highlighted with a modern take on the traditional Brazilian song with some help from a traditional Brazilian dancer, a female vocalist and a log drummer along with the instrumentals of the band. This had the stage full of colour and movement, and the crowd dancing along with the hip-shaking and twirling dancer on stage.
Perhaps the highlight of the show was the inclusion of a four-piece drum line and two modern dancers, which saw the stage filled out with 14 performers. The play between the traditional style of the drum line and the modern dancing showcased the melding of the two styles the band achieves in their songs.
Overall this would certainly be one of the most dynamic and engaging shows I have been to in a long time. With every minute of their one hour set full-on and over the top, with not a single person in the house standing still, it was certainly further proof of the passion and talent that Watussi brings to each one of their live shows.
Bethany Williams
Opening with Alphamama and her all-female support band was a perfect warm-up for the growing crowd. With Alphamama’s sultry voice and her ferocious stage presence she was able to grab the attention of a crowd that was still more interested in socialising than the show.
Alphamama’s set captured the different influences of her music, with styles ranging from modern hip-hop through to soul and reggae. Unfortunately, passion and lyrical journey of her slower track was lost to the crowd already hyped up by the upbeat songs, and broke the building dance atmosphere. However, Alphamama was clearly appreciated by the crowd, ending her set with an encore.
Following the dynamism of Alphamama’s set was a DJ set, wih DJ Roleo. As with many live shows featuring DJ set, the crowd was almost at a loss as to what was happening. Roleo’s set featured a heavy hip hop beat with remixes of Jimmy Hendrix’s Purple Haze as well as mixes of modern club songs and African tribal beats. Without an engaging stage show, Roleo lost the crowds attention with most people catching up with friends rather than dancing.
Following DJ Roleo’s lacklustre set was True Vibenation, a three-piece band that combined hip-hop vocals, a DJ, a trumpet and 2 saxophones that built an unexpected and well-composed set. While the crowd took a bit to catch-up with the trio, once they were there, The Metro transformed into thriving hip-hop club with the bump and grind of wall-to-wall dancing.
The trio kept their set fresh with the inclusion of the trumpet and two saxophones, which gave them a great element of originality and a jazz-inspired sound to certain songs. They also used a strong flamenco base through one of their tracks to add a Latino flavour that sat perfectly with the background of much of the crowd. Their set brought the crowd’s energy soaring and worked as a bridge between the earlier hip-hop sound of DJ Roleo and the Latin flavour of Watussi.
The set of Tropicante Sound Sistema, a collective of DJs, went both unannounced and unnoticed. Their tracks all seemed pre-recorded and worked more as the music played between sets rather than a set itself. However, their sound fitted perfectly with Latin-Reggae mix and kept the crowd on their feet dancing and excited for Watussi’s set.
Watussi joined the stage to the cheers of crowd that couldn’t wait for their set to start. And they didn’t disappoint. Their set was full of energy and Latin flair all brought together with their dynamic lead Oscar Jimenez. With an eight-piece band that played around 20 individual instruments during the set, they kept up the intensity and the interest of the crowd.
Playing to a crowd that had a big South American background, Watussi combined traditional South American rhythms and styles with their own modern interpretations. Their melding of the two was highlighted with a modern take on the traditional Brazilian song with some help from a traditional Brazilian dancer, a female vocalist and a log drummer along with the instrumentals of the band. This had the stage full of colour and movement, and the crowd dancing along with the hip-shaking and twirling dancer on stage.
Perhaps the highlight of the show was the inclusion of a four-piece drum line and two modern dancers, which saw the stage filled out with 14 performers. The play between the traditional style of the drum line and the modern dancing showcased the melding of the two styles the band achieves in their songs.
Overall this would certainly be one of the most dynamic and engaging shows I have been to in a long time. With every minute of their one hour set full-on and over the top, with not a single person in the house standing still, it was certainly further proof of the passion and talent that Watussi brings to each one of their live shows.
Bethany Williams