It's difficult to make your way through the crowd at the Circolo Angelo Mai, where the I Hate My Village concert was sold out. The evening opened with Hate Moss, a post-punk/electronic duo based in London. Maria Cristina Galassi, aka Tina, he lit up the audience with his syncopated electronic sounds, while Ian Carvalho, Italian-Brazilian, gave energy behind the drums. Their set was a perfect prelude, capable of igniting the audience with dark but very engaging rhythms.
After a short break accompanied by the powerful notes of Motorpsycho fired at full volume, it was time for I Hate My Village, who gave an overwhelming show, proving once again that they are one of the most original and powerful realities of the contemporary Italian music scene .
The live show was an opportunity to fully explore the two albums in their discography: the 2019 LP of the same name and the latest “Nevermind The Tempo”. The evening opens with the fiery notes of “Tramp” and “Italiapaura” , a double that immediately lights up the atmosphere, and then continues with the overwhelming energy of “Acquaragia” and the highly acclaimed “Watertanks.”
The alchemy between the musicians is amazing: in “Present Tense”the dissonances are intertwined with a groove pounding, building irresistible tension; in “Fame” Adriano Viterbini (Bud Spencer Blues Explosion) takes the stage with one performance impeccable. His guitar often becomes the protagonist in sophisticated intertwining bending rapid finger movements. Despite the strong personalities at play, the group's cohesion appeared to border on perfection. Each member seems to naturally alternate between the role of protagonist and that of supporting character, without ever overshadowing the others. Alberto Ferrari (Verdena) is the star of the evening and alternates moments of interaction with the audience with vocal incursions that are as surreal as they are funny.
The setlist explores almost entirely the last album (only “Dun Dun” was not performed), with songs such as “Enodegrado”, “Erbaccia”, “Jim” and “Come una poliziatta”, which keep the audience's energy high . The mix of genres that characterizes the band and the passion for desert rock emerge forcefully, not only in pieces such as “Mauritania Twist”, where the references to groups such as Tinariwen are evident, but also in more stratified tracks such as “Fare un fuoco ”. Here Fabio Rondanini (Calibro 35, Afterhours) shines with a drum kit that alternates tribal pulsations with intricate rhythmic constructions, demonstrating a technical elegance and dynamism that leads him to continuously dialogue with the other instruments.
The only criticism that could be made of I Hate My Village is that their approach is almost exclusively focused on the music, with little direct interaction with the audience. However, in the final part of the concert, every reservation is completely overturned. The band invites a large group of fans onto the stage, transforming it into a scene of pure creative chaos. Among the overwhelming notes of “Tony Hawk Of Ghana” and “Artiminime”the stage turns into a bizarre post-punk/math rock disco, with the band continuing to play undaunted while everything happens around: wild dancing, passionate kisses and people launching into live social media. A memorable ending, crowned by I Hate My Village's decision to dedicate the entire evening to the memory of Francesco Cerroni, a pillar of the Roman music scene, who passed away in recent days.
Antonio Santini for SANREMO.FM
