by Jeanne Reidy

It wasn’t that we were necessarily seeking out some English entertainment, but when we realized that the West Side Story would be performed in English (and subtitled in Spanish) as part of Madrid’s Veranos de la Villa 2009 festival, my sister, brother-in-law and I got tickets right away. Even though I was excited to see my favorite musical performed in such a unique setting, I have learned that in Spain, you never know what you’re going to get, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Luckily, I was most pleasantly surprised.

The venue was incredible. El Escenario Puerta del Ángel is located in Casa de Campo and on a map, looked a bit complicated to get to. One switch of a metro line and a short walk and we found ourselves at a place I never knew existed. We didn’t know was to expect- an indoor theatre or an outdoor one for the summer festival or assigned seats or general admission or elegant theatre attire or a casual summer night out. We were surprised on all accounts.

First of all, Veranos de la Villa is an annual festival in Madrid starting at the end of June through mid-August. Each night, at various venues around the city, music, theatre, dance, musicals, concert poetry, movies, flamenco and circus acts are performed.

West Side Story, directed by Joe McKneely (music directed by Donald Chan), has been performed in Tokyo, Paris and now Madrid in celebration of 50 years since it debuted on Broadway.

The venue is an open air theatre in a giant landing space in the largest park in Madrid. I’m not quite positive if it is there year round or built for special events like this festival but I would imagine it is the latter. To take a break from the show, you simply need to glance to your left to see the western-facing side of Madrid’s Royal Palace and Cathedral, gently lit after sunset. There wasn’t a bad seat in the house- which was surprisingly not filled on the Saturday night. Apparently subtitled classic American musicals are not so appealing to the modern-day madrileño.

When we saw the start time of the show, 21:30, we couldn’t quite understand why a Spanish production would play through the dinner hours. We had just planned on grabbing an extra late dinner after the show. However, upon arrival, we noticed several vendors selling ready-to-eat fruit, bocadillos, snacks and drinks. This wasn’t ball park food either. You could enjoy a glass of wine and some fresh fruit on a leather chair under an umbrella before the show or during intermission. Furthermore, there were jewelers and other vendors for admiring. It seemed like they had thought of bringing every detail from an indoor venue outdoors to the middle of the park. Special appreciation goes to whoever thought to provide twice as many women’s bathrooms as men’s.

The show itself was impressive as well. The singing didn’t blow me away but the dancing most definitely did. The cast wasn’t huge but their stamina made it seem like there were twice as many actors. In typical Spanish fashion, the show started about twenty minutes late and the intermission took longer than planned.

You may be wondering, as we did, how to “subtitle” a musical. There was small screen hanging above the stage which was working double time to get the lyrics and dialogue across at the same time they were being said. I was surprised how successful a method it was actually. Because I basically have the lyrics of West Side Story completely memorized, I tried to spend most of the show watching the subtitles. To no surprise, some of the dialogue and lyrics don’t exactly translate across languages. For instance, some jokes in the show that should get an immediate reaction, did not come across in the Spanish version and if they did, due to the subtitles, the laughs were a bit delayed. I had to giggle a bit, as you can imagine, when reading the subtitles for “When you’re a Jet, you’re a Jet all the way, from your first cigarette, ‘til your last dying day”. Regardless, I think the madrileños got the idea and enjoyed a taste of American theatre. I know I did.

For a moderately priced ticket, the evening was well worth it. I strongly recommend taking advantage of this event or the rest of what Veranos de la Villa 2009 has to offer. I’m planning on it.

West Side Story plays until July 5th. http://www.esmadrid.com/veranosdelavilla/

by Isaure Cointreau

The first time I met Douglas it was at a little Moroccan style bar on Calle Colereros. I was just looking forward to have the best mojitos in Madrid, though that night there was a concert and I ended up having the best of times. With his guitar, Brazilian accent, suave and energetic songs, one would define his style as “world music”. However it’s much more than that, mixing popular themes and modern rhythms, Douglas Aguiar has a real talent to transmit to his listeners a southing and thrilling vibe.

Since then I bought his CD, went to a couple of his other concerts, had a few charlas and eventually he became a friend. I could say I’m somewhat of a fan, though I believe that all the people that have been able to be acquainted with his music have become so as well.

The Brazilian musician has been living in Spain for almost ten years now, and although he will never forget where he’s from, going back and forth at least twice a year, he doesn’t plan on leaving anytime soon. As the guitarist’s first motivation for coming to the Iberian soil was his high interest in the flamenco style, it did not stop at that. Madrid, as it does for most of those who inhabit it, grew on him and now embodies his first years into adulthood. Starting a new life, making new friends and having his first career experiences, Madrid became part of him.

In 2007, mixing the different universes he had experienced, the project of launching an album succeeded.  Produced in Sao Paolo, the CD is the result of a mix between Spanish and Brazilian culture. As a result his work is an overall delightful warm fusion Brazilian “root music”. On the twelve different compositions, eight are in Portuguese and the other four in Spanish. These are not the only tokens of variety one would find as the different rhythms and climates go from soft to more upbeat, and this all for the very pleasure of its listener.

The album goes by “Boca a boca”, and seems to be referring to multiple meanings the intelligent lyrics keep on illustrating.  Based on a double metaphor, two concepts are being winked at. La boca as in “the mouth” is referred to as a communicative instrument and symbol of desire. As it appears the artist seems to take at heart the manipulation of rhetoric and globalization led by the hand of mass media. However, although “Boca a Boca” has a language of its own, it invites the public to interpret the songs as they please.

Although Spain is now his main musical stage the artist plans to travel throughout Europe. He has already performed in Toulouse for a while, and in October, Paris seems to be his next destination. So we might see more of this musician, singer and composer in the future and around the world.  Until then, I would encourage anyone to log on to his myspace to check out his talent and next performances. 

http://www.myspace.com/douglasaguiar

by Stuart Yochem

Have you ever thought that, through song, you could shed light on the creation of the world, understand the nature of human beings, communicate with spirits of the past, or even contact a family of gorillas? Though the first three may be plausible for some of you, I know that I have never thought it possible to contact a gorilla family…nor have I wanted to! (Gorillas can be pretty violent). It seems however that if you are a member of the Fang Tribe of Equatorial Guinea, you can do all of these things. Interested? This Friday evening at 7:30, Madrid’s Auditorio Nacional de Música will be hosting a performance called Mèndzang mé yè Cavan, featuring a number of famous Fang authors and performers. The show, a part of the Auditorium’s Ethnic Music Cycle, will delve into the oral tradition of the Fang and enlighten people on what it is to use song as a primary communication device. So first off, as many of you are as ill informed about the Fang as I, let’s look into the tribe’s past and understand how their oral tradition has led them to monkey calling.

The Fang are a Bantu-speaking tribe who currently live in Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Cameroon but originated in northern Sudan. Centuries ago, the tribe began an exodus that lasted generations. They journeyed through Asia, drifted across the Red Sea, spent some time in Egypt, meandered through the nearby deserts and savannas and eventually landed in Guinea in the late eighteenth century. The migration was not over, folks. Following their stay in Guinea, they took up life in the forest, a symbol of great importance in Fang culture. It is ingrained in the spirit of the Fang to respect the forest, as a giant tree called the Àdzàp acts as a yearlong barrier to entrance into their new home. After a short four generations, it seems that the Àdzàp tree has given most tribe members the green light. Final destination: Equatorial Guinea, where today the Fang remain the country’s numerically largest ethnic group.

Along with their forest dwelling, the Fang base their unity on a keen ability to keep up with oral tradition. The communal house of the word, translated in Bantu as the Abáá, is located at the center of the village and is used as a communication channel. In the house lives various instruments, including the Nkúú, a large sacred drum, the Mbeña a vertical drum made of skinned antelope, and the Olonga, a hollow trunk used to communicate in the forest. The Olonga’s sound reaches up to a whopping five kilometers! What better reason to ditch your costly cell phones and invest in a more original device to call friends?

Besides having an adept ability to communicate with distinct instruments, the Fang have some other rituals that have stirred up some heated debates among both tribe members as well as outsiders. The most controversial of the rituals is the sacrifice of widows. In the Fang culture, after a chief dies his wives must undergo sacrifice. I don’t imagine that either westerners coming into the country, nor feminists, nor any woman in her right mind would agree with this custom! María Nsué, 63, is an actor in the upcoming performance and went as far as to write a book about the atrocious practice. The book, called Ekomo (1985), tells the story of a Fang woman who breaks taboos by speaking out after the death of her husband. Ekomo is the first novel written and published by an Equatoguinean woman.

Now that we have a synopsized knowledge of the Fang culture, we can go into this Friday’s performance with at least a basic understanding of what’s going on. Among the performers include the above-mentioned María Nsué as well as Donato Ndongo-Bidyogo. Nsué, who was born in 1945 Equatorial Guinea to Fang parents, immigrated to Spain when she was eight-years-old. In Spain, she studied literature and discovered a great passion for writing. She returned to Equatorial Guinea where she worked for the country’s Ministry of Culture and Education. Today, Nsué is a permanent resident in Madrid. In the performance, Nsué will act as a storyteller and use song and several Fang instruments to express the actions and emotions of the tribe’s people.

Alongside Nsué will be Donato Ndongo-Bidyogo, 58, who is also native to Equatorial Guinea and today is a renowned writer and journalist. Ndongo is a member of the movement of young, Afro-descended authors who have contributed their African experience to Hispanic culture. The most acclaimed of his works include The History and Tragedy of Equatorial Guinea (1977) and The Spanish Commerce with Africa (1980). Besides his fantastic list of written works, Ndongo has also served as the adjunct direction for Nuestra Señora de África de Madrid (Our Lady of Africa in Madrid) and Centro Cultural Hispaño-Guineano de Malabo (the Center for Hispanic-Guinean Culture in Malabo). Ndongo will be act as an interpreter in the performance.

Nsué and Ndongo will be accompanied by several other actors and performers playing various different Fang instruments. The storyline will surely leave audience members sitting on the edge of their seats as a war breaks out between humans and monkeys. The theme of the performance is memory and how to recover the past through song. Songs include the abduction, the exodus of the gorillas, and the nanny.

Those of you out there who are seeking a glimpse into a lifestyle far different than your own, this may be your best bet. Prepare to be transported to Indigenous Africa!

by Mary

Q: What kind of car does Mickey Mouse´s wife drive?
A: A Minnie van!

This Sunday, you shouldn´t expect to hear jokes like this one from comedian David O´Doherty. As in, the jokes he tells will actually make you laugh.

The Irish comedian (a one-time cyclist and one-time jazz musician) comes to Madrid´s Giggling Guiri Comedy Club this Sunday, promising to make you smile for only 14 euros.

O´Doherty prefers to sing his comedy aside simple keyboard tunes, similar to Flight of the Concords, Tenancious D (but tamer), or perhaps singer Ben Folds on his funnier days. O´Doherty´s stories revolve around subjects like missent text messages, bad first dates, tan lines and other awkward issues that face young people today. Typically, he´ll tap away at a little battery-operated keyboard and tell you about his embarrassing parents, his bikerides home and his failed lovelife experiences, taking tangents and asides to make his stories even more funny and slightly uncomfortable.

His humor is hard to describe; perhaps the keyboard element throws his comedy into a realm beyond words. O´Doherty has defined it as ¨very low energy musical whimsy,¨ which one might rephrase into monotone-jokes-told-to-keyboard-sounds. Or something like that.

Anyways, you should see him for yourself. If you´re into the hilariously humdrum (think The Office, or Curb Your Enthusiasm) humdrum yet hilarious entertainment, you´d definitely like the quiet, self-deprecating humor of David O´Doherty. I promise his jokes aren´t as lame as mine!

by Isaure Cointreau

Last Thursday at 6h30 my roommate and I met up in front of the Teatro Real to get our tickets for the night’s show. “Romeo and Juliet” was then performed by the tremendous Stuttgart Ballet. Thus, after twenty minutes of queuing and a long chat over coffee, the stage curtains opened on the lively streets of Verona. Before our eyes Shakespeare’s tragedy was exquisitely illustrated by dance and music filling us with a fluttering feeling of delight. This classic piece had everything of a must see. Hence, the moving music of Prokofiev, the thrilling choreography, the fit dancers in stretched pants, and the drama would make any girl cry for more.

Other than the fact that we loved the show, we loved the price we had paid for it. Thanks to the “ultimo minuto” discount my ticket was 1.95 euros instead of 95. Isn’t life sweet? When the cashier asked for the payment saying the amount out loud I thought I hadn’t heard properly and even when she repeated it, I still thought my Spanish comprehension was at his worst. Thus after different states of shock going through incomprehension, gaze and overexcitement, we finally took our tickets and left the impatient sales assistant.  

Our seats at first were not bad but we could only see half of the stage between rows of different heads. However once the music started and the lights started to dim, we spotted empty chairs up front. In a few seconds we were taking our bags and moving up to the 1^st class seats, no questions asked.

During the first intermission we went out on the terrace to enjoy the sunset on the Palacio Real. The place looked surreal in this light, and adding to this the view of the plaza, it couldn’t feel more magical. When we went back inside, God knows how we ended up there, but we were in a private salon surrounded by glasses of wine and canapés. Assured that we were allowed to feast ourselves, we started to enjoy what was offered. We came back at the 2^nd intermission, though we then understood that we were really lucky to be there. While having a sip of Champagne, Cecile pointed out that people were being checked in showing their tickets to a doorman. Though it didn’t disturb our enjoyment, we stayed as discrete as we could.

The last half hour was intense. It felt like I was not the only one enjoying myself in there, as if we were all in communion with what was going on stage. As if the public was trying to grasp every minute of the Ballet, trying to remember every move and every sound of it, the eyes of the spectators were drawn towards the two protagonists. In the end, while Romeo and Juliet were dying, the man sitting next to me was silently crying and I was desperately wishing the show would go on for ever. However, although all good things have to end, the magic that happened in the Opera House stayed with me all night.

In other words, the show was an enchantment.

by Martin Quinn

I know this guy back at home who isn’t exactly the brightest torch in the hardware store. He used to love punk music and was well into its subculture. You know the hair, the tattoos and all that. The problem was he was also a bit too much into the lyrics of some far-right bands he was listening to. Anyway, the early nineties was still grim back in the black north of Ireland. Not many jobs for a Mowhawked punk sporting six or seven swastika tattoos so it was off to London for himself and a mate. Well they’re walking along this street when they see an Asian guy and decide to beat him up. Embarrassed and totally rejecting what he used to be, he managed to laugh as he described himself and his friend being subjected to a severe kicking by what turned out to be a martial arts expert!

Skip a few years and I’m getting another anecdote from my old mate George, a Glaswegian. A self-described moderate left-winger, and strangely for a Weegie, a pacifist. He visited Hamburg once and went for a pint in a supporters bar for local team St. Pauli. Unlike the former Nazi their punk-rocking, heavy-metalling ultras are very much on the left. On a political spectrum, you could probably put these boys slightly to the left of the Baader-Meinhof gang and just as willing to use violence. Well, Georgie got a warm welcome as he’s a Celtic fan and the St. Pauli fans love us. So they’re having a nice pint when, suddenly a brick comes flying through the front window. “Whit the f*!ks goin on!” screams George as the barman produces a clump of baseball bats and starts throwing them to the St. Pauli fans. He’s informed that the bar’s being attacked by skinheads. As a sea of ultras in Jolly Roger T-shirts run to the street and get tore into the Nazis, he’s offered a baseball bat. A little calmer, George replies “Naw mate, I’m happy enough here with me beer”.

I’m thinking about these two stories as I jump into a crowd of maniacs at the Stiff Little Fingers concert in Joy Eslava. This nightclub is really snobby but tonight it’s overrun by lunatics. I’ve been to a load of rock and metal gigs but never a punk concert and I must say it’s jolly good fun! Well if you don’t mind getting grievously injured, that is. I see a load of St. Pauli Jolly Roger T-shirts and one maniac with a Mowhawk going absolutely Radio Rentals on the dancefloor. The mosh pit (metallers call it that, I dunno what punks call it) is heaving from side to side and I’m smashing up against dozens of other basket cases. The band SLF are great and all their old classics are played though they’ve only one original member left, their singer and inspiration Jake Burns. These Belfast boys are anarchistic in outlook and followed by left-wingers, people like myself who were sickened at how the punk movement was hijacked by Nazis. Many of SLF’s songs have an anti-army, anti-paramilitary and anti-establishment outlook and were written during the worst days of the Northern Irish war. Their opinions make them sound like peaceniks but, in fairness plenty of their followers seem to enjoy a bit of random violence, with willing participants, of course.

The next day I wake up with an agonisingly sore shoulder and can’t go to Thaiboxing for a week, but I figure you’ve guessed that…

by Martin Quinn

Tonight in Palacio Municipal de Congresos, the Australian Pink Floyd Show are performing the rock Opera The Wall in its entirety. Now if you’ve never seen this king of cover bands, you’ll be blown away. Aussie Floyd play Floyd like Floyd don’t play Floyd and Floyd admit that themselves. Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour even hired the band to play at his 50th birthday bash a few years back they’re so close to the real thing. I saw them in Galway a couple of years back when they performed the whole Dark Side of the Moon album and I must say I was impressed. My top three bands are Floyd (for their complexity), AC/DC (for their simplicity) and Jimi Hendrix (well, simply because it’s Hendrix). It takes a whole lotta skill to emulate any group or performer and these boys have it.

As it happens, I’ve opted for Liverpool versus Real but I’ve lined up a wee alternative. If you fancy something a little less polished, go to Joy Eslava this Friday night. Pink Floyd they ain’t, the raw-edged Stiff Little Fingers are in town. The Belfast punk rockers led by Jake Burns are letting off a few suspect devices in Joy, a place I thought I’d never set foot in again (after I was overcharged for a vodka/Red Bull by a prick with a poncy haircut). Well surely SLF will grease the place up and get the heads shaking wilder than the DUP (NI’s very own No-Boys) after they’ve been asked to share power with “them on the other side”.

SLF themselves liked to think they saw beyond the political divide in Northern Ireland and at times, they did. Their lyrics, especially in songs like Wasted Life and Tin Soldiers, described the group’s opinions on joining the paramilitaries or the army, backed up by a classic kick-in-the-guts punk rhythm. Now that the beast of the conflict has forced its head back into the international headlines, these songs have a very contemporary value, whatever your opinions of this most depressing of wars. So, if you dare venture out this Friday the 13th, go to www.ticktackticket.com and book up for a bit of anarchic dandruff-shaking. It might also be a good opportunity to explain to Spaniards what two straight fingers directed with the back of the hand actually mean.

Stereophonics’ released their best of album, A Decade In The Sun-Best Of Stereophonics, this week. The record includes two new songs amid some of the best tracks from their six studio albums, and a 40-track 2-disc set is also available for big fans. The last five albums have all hit number one in the UK charts since their debut album, Word Gets Around, reached number six in 1997.

Check out the November 2008 issue of European Vibe Magazine for our interview with the band’s drummer, Javier Weyler. During the interview Javier told us his favourite songs from Stereophonics’ first four albums made before he joined the band. Here are the videos of those songs for you:

Local Boy In The Photograph 1998

The Bartender And The Thief 1998

Mr. Writer 2001

by Tim Anderson

Years on the circuit with Moloko have given this silky queen experience on working the crowd but as a solo performer, Roisin Murphy has sunk her teeth into developing her own club sound, house and beats.

Since the break-up of the mega successful Moloko, which she started in 1994 with ex-partner Mark Brydon, Roisin has been a busy girl. The band had recorded 6 albums together releasing several successful singles such as “The time is now” and “Forever More” and come to the end of their contractual obligations. She then went on to record her debut album “Ruby Blue” which started on setting her apart from Moloko’s distinctive sound. For the recording of her second solo album, Overpowered, Murphy went back to her roots in Englands northern town of Sheffield and last year produced a storming club dance-floor record.

This has complemented her live shows which have always been pretty loved-up affairs anyway. The layered beats of Moloko are still there but there is a heavy house flavour on her latest record, a result of her complete focus in making a record. “I can’t imagine making a record and not being totally consumed by the process, even though that might be nice.” She states.

The Irish born singer was even nominated for an MTV award this year and has been on tour around the world for almost a year, finally coming back to Europe after a break at the end of the festival season. But she hasn’t ruled out a return to Moloko’s smooth sounds sometime in the future as well; her website states, “Murphy has been keen to stress that the group are not necessarily defunct and that she has no interest in “burying” the project”. Great news for all of us then.

But for now she will be storming the stage live at the beginning of November and should heat up the chilly autumn night just perfectly.

Roisin Murphy performs in Madrid on 2 November at La Riviera. Tickets are on sale at www.ticktackticket.com and the FNAC, priced 27 Euros (30 if you want to risk paying on the door). Starts 20:00.

Our summer Vibe Box is by European Vibe’s own Helen Macrae.

She brings us her top ten songs to listen to while enjoying the summer/lazing by the pool.

These are the final four:

Toots and The Maytals – 54-46 Was My Number

Energy 52 – Cafe Del Mar ‘98 (Three ‘N One Remix)

Dizzee Rascal feat. Calvin Harris & Chrome – Dance Wiv Me

Groove Armada – Edge Hill