Showing posts with label Los Bitchos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Los Bitchos. Show all posts

Tuesday, 23 July 2024

The Technicolour Explosion Of The Dancefloor

Are you ready Nic? Uh-huhJosefine? YeahSerra? OkayAlright Augustina, let's go!

Los Bitchos have delivered a second brace of singles to herald the arrival of album #2, Talkie Talkie, at the end of August.

Kiki, You Complete Me recreates Grand Theft Auto as an arcade game called Miami Drive, the song itself effortlessly soundtracking the breakneck race around the city.

1K! evokes the family holiday home movies of the 60s and 70s, although Los Bitchos clearly didn't film this in Weymouth or Tenby, my regular haunts as a kid. This one reminds me a little of Pista (Fresh Start), the first song I heard by the band, mixed up with some Spaghetti Western spices and simmered gently.

La Bomba is like a bath bomb dropped into hot water, an explosion of fizzing influences and inspiration. In just over two minutes, you get hints of Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) by ABBA, Ring My Bell by Anita Bell and Rasputin by Boney M. The video (and the cover of the single) throw in a nod to Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen but it's otherwise it's a smorgasbord of 80s stylistic nods throughout. 

Sticking with the 80s, sonically and visually, Don't Change is a bit of a red herring as Los Bitchos' sound has inevitably evolved since their debut album. It's so much bigger and bolder yet has lost none of the charm, energy and straight out fun of their previous recordings. The video for Don't Change matches the joie de vivre beat for beat, Serra's 'inflatable guitar solo' in the lapping surf is hilarious.

Los Bitchos played a brilliant set at Glastonbury last year. I can only find one song remaining online, but it's a doozy, the opening song of their first album, Let The Festivities Begin. titled The Link Is About To Die.

If you've got just over half an hour to spare, then I'd also recommend the set Los Bitchos performed for ARTE Concert last month, which includes performances of La Bomba and Don't Change, alongside the aforementioned Pista (Fresh Start) and The Link Is About To Die as well as the AA-side of last year's Pah! single - and a rare vocal outing - Tequila.

1:28 FFS 4:25 The Link Is About To Die 10:30 La Bomba 13:10 Lindsay Goes To Mykonos 16:31 Don't Change 20:25 Pista (Fresh Start) 24:05 Tripping At A Party 26:55 Let Me Cook You 30:40 Las Panteras 35:18 Tequilla

Los Bitchos are in the UK this weekend for the Deer Shed festival in Topcliffe, North Yorkshire and return for a full-on tour in October and November. Sadly, the latter dates coincide with a planned Clan K holiday so I won't get to experience Los Bitchos live this time around, but the album's on pre-order.

Wednesday, 1 March 2023

Tequila? Pah!

Los Bitchos released a new single on Monday, on actual 7" vinyl (already sold out) and digital, featuring a couple of cover versions.

Titled Pah!, the single features frequent set-closer Tequila, with a video showing the band buying a bottle of the titular bad/good stuff from their local off licence and trawling the streets and clubs of London, sharing the love and tequila, both of which go a very long way. 
 
It's a full-on, fuzzy, fun take on the song and a much needed burst of but of course nothing can match the sheer joy of the original version by The Champs. Here's the proof, if you need it.

Great, isn't it?
 
Los Bitchos are supporting King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard in London for two dates later this month and have turned their attention to one of their songs for the A-side. Trapdoor starts off gently, the intro initially reminding me of this song. This is a false road as at 2:43 the band then veers onto a pacey, scuzzy psych-out take for the last minute or so.   

There's an audio clip for this one but no video (yet?), though it's of little consequence as King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard pretty much nailed it with their own, when the song was originally released in 2015.
 
A quick rummage in my music closet reveals I have the sum total of two King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard songs in my collection, a pretty poor showing considering that since they formed in 2010, the band have delivered 23 studio albums, 3 compilations, 1 remix albums and, with the release of Live At Red Rocks '22 in January, a current tally of 15 live albums. Where to start?!

Well... a good excuse as any to buy some of their music from your favourite record shop or at the next Bandcamp Friday, er, on Friday.

Buy Los Bitchos and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. The Champs' Tequila is widely available but also features on the mind-boggingly brilliant 94-track compilation, The Backbeat Of Rock And Roll. A bargain!