In this world of current music journalism, we often bring out the content that is so necessary to survive in this jungle of information, using empty and quite predictable labels, putting this or that artist or band, in one bag or another, to try to direct or situate the reader about what we are seeing or hearing.
Luckily, lately there are more and more groups determined to make it difficult for us, which I am glad about, because I have always thought, and I have said so on many occasions, that there is nothing more unfair for a music, or a music, than labeling them. .
One of those bands that, since they started, were clear that they were not going to go through that hoop, are Bizarre Love Triangle, who have always demonstrated a unique personality in an – fortunately – increasingly changing landscape. In their case, the initial commitment to indie pop, and post punk, over the years has become more sophisticated and, in some ways, complicated in a good way, until reaching an electronic and garage punk, which reaches its peak. in the band’s latest work, “Sed”which is precisely the reason or excuse that brought them to Bilbao, within the current tour to present an album that, for sure, we will find in a few weeks on the lists of the best albums of the year in all the specialized magazines. (“specialized”, that concept so ethereal in these times…).
With only ten minutes late than the time set for the start of the show, the four members of the group appeared on the stage of the Kafe Antzokia and, after a brief intro with “Dinosaur”, and without saying a word, they gave the first hostion of the night with “Robo tu tiempo”, an absolute example of that characteristic seal that we talked about before, and whose essential characteristic is the wonderful disorder and chaos caused by the sound of the synths and keyboards, superimposed on a base of classic guitar and bass rock, which follow the path that, unalterably, is drawn by a drum set that does not stop for a second from setting the rhythm of a concert, in which things flow in an absolutely natural way; all this while maintaining an undeniable punk attitude, which is what Rodrigo’s voice exudes, in charge of starring in the wildest moments of the gig, such as the interpretation of “Buy yourself a yacht”, “Smells like cologne sparks”, or “Ruptura”.
But the good thing about this band is that, apart from managing an infallible repertoire, they know how to make setlists in which the changes of rhythm are evident, but they do not squeak or get boring at any time, perfectly balanced by that contrast that they cause. the two voices of the band: that of Rodrigo, as we have said, the one in charge of the “wildest” part of the lot, and that of Isa, much more connected to the almost nineties pop sounds, as in “Estrellas misticos”, and lately, to the more electronic songs, such as the single “Estrella solitaria”, “La spectatora” or “La Carretera”, with which they create an enveloping atmosphere, and where the vocalist shines in the vocals… as in all her interventions, by the way.
Of course, as in everything, there will be those who prefer the harder side of the band, and those who are delighted with the more delicate or calm parts of the repertoire. But that’s the good thing about Triángulo de Amor Bizarro, that everything fits into their songs, and they don’t even shy away from mixing different musical styles within the same song, like “Fukushima”, with its delicate initial darkness, which sometimes base of synths and keyboards, it gets dirty, until it reaches a garage-punk, a trademark of the house, and which brings them closer to the still active El Columpio Asesino, like “Himno de la bala”, with lyrics for the posterity.
The band bordered on epic in overwhelming moments like “Goldfish Death Song,” embraced surrealism in “Radar at the Service of Magicians,” and noise pop in “ASMR for You”; In their own way, they also approached classic rock and roll, with “Luchador” and “O Isa”, and hard rock with “Canción de la fame” (another round lyric, which makes their position towards the industry and other musical scourges), and of course they shined in the most post-punk sounds in the three hymns with which they ended the concert: “Barca quemada”, “Vigilantes delmirro”, with the audience completely crazy, and “De la monarchía a cryptocracy”, which marked the definitive end to a gig that had absolutely everything, and where we were able to confirm that we are facing one of the great rock, punk, electronic bands – and everything! – on the current scene.
Yes, of course I have also used an endless number of labels or clichés – noise pop, post punk, indie, hard rock… – to breaking latest news the concert, but the best thing is that, surely, I will still have missed a few to finish defining what they do Bizarre Love Trianglea band that, in the era of mass production of artists and bands, still allow themselves the luxury of doing whatever they want.