WHERE IS LIANA: endless party at Hiroshima Mon Amour – Rockon.it

Article by Alessandro Cebrian Cobos

I sincerely arrive atHiroshima experienced by an intense week, with a lot of sleep behind; curious to hear i Where is Liana for the first time, with some doubts about being able to enjoy them to the fullest. But while I drink a beer to acclimatise, the soft and colorful electro of the opening DJ set of Andrea Vietti it pulls me in and all the other people looking for a beat. Let's dance.

The room fills up, and the real fans already have scarves and sunglasses on their heads, like the trio in their public appearances. Behind the console, the writing Love 679 every now and then it lights up with colored LEDs, and when this happens a small impatient roar erupts: we are hot. The three get on, with their tank tops, leather jackets and the mysterious air given to them by their disguise.

In addition to the turntables they have a couple of keyboards and an electric guitar at their disposal. They have the sly smile of someone who knows they're about to do something, but they open nonchalantly: they place the melodic lines of the vocals of Love 679 (Not Hate)and one of them comes to the side of the stage to read a nostalgic text about childhood memories. “This was the first page from “The art of joy” by Goliarda Sapienza”he announces. And the beat starts.

Live their sound hits much harder: the grooves are more incisive, the bass drum vibrates directly in the chest, it makes you move your head in time. Given their origin, it is easy to trace a musical lineage: it is clear that the vocoder is enough All Women to summon Daft Punk. And some progressive layering of sustained chords, beats, bass, melody, strings, vocals one after the other makes them seem like a sort of Justice for Gen Z, like when the chorus of Time For Celebration.

Yet their version of the French touch has a homely touch, a hippie spirit that makes it different: engaging, accessible, welcoming. They are tacky but far from self-centered: they suggest you join their party, they say “do you want to?”

Their texts have a rare naivety, which only those who write in Italian without being native can have. They sing “Let's play at being lovers / and start making love”, but they lack mischief, are free from the need to prove something, and allow themselves to use simple words that a native songwriter would never combine. Who would write one Discamore? “A summer on the beach / A summer on the Piaggio / kisses on the beach”. No one, while the three can do it, they can naively mispronounce doubles and accents, creating emotions so simple that we all remember having experienced them.

They exude a sense of nostalgia with no sadness. For an hour and a half we are immersed in these endless nocturnal adventures and we are experiencing them together singing in chorus. They keep us suspended by connecting one piece to the next, Peace, Love & Kisses overlaps with Tutti Le Donne, a bass line extends, above him a carpet of electric piano notes, and then one of the three comes in front and shoots a guitar solo. The response is ecstatic.

This is why, when they make quiet chords, read the last page of “The Art of Joy” and leave, we continue to shout. They come back up: “They had forgotten the keys U Es Bé”, he smiles. It was still missing Why Cry Palermoin fact, which becomes an opportunity to play with their signature track: they add small old school breaks, slightly Italo disco arpeggiated synths, and a completely out of place (and therefore adorable) dubstep juncture. Even this is not enough and we call them back to the stage once again. They re-propose the medley of Peace, Love & Baci and Tutti Le Donne, which we enjoy to the last drop.

When they really leave, without wasting time Andrea Vietti returns to the stage, with Lorenzo De Matteoand carries the energy that is still palpable into an enveloping closing DJ set. But I've already given everything tonight, reluctantly I'm going home shortly after.

While I wait for the last bus, while I try to retain some warmth between my jacket and scarf, I hear my voice humming. “But the important thing is to dance / laugh / and make love”. Suddenly I feel a little warmer, and I smile.

WHERE IS LIANA – the lineup of the concert at Hiroshima Mon Amour in Turin

1. Love 679 (Not Hate)
2. Time For Celebration
3. Discamore
4. Here is the Night
5. Postcards From The Universe
6. Summer Of Love
7. Welcome to Casa Rock
8. Peace, Love & Kisses
9. All Women
10. Blue Summer
11. Late Night Light
12. The Infinite Night

Encore:

• Bowie Girls
• Why Cry Palermo

Encore:

• Peace, Love & Kisses
• All Women