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20/04/2004 AMPARANOIA/CALEXICO |
Royal Festival Hall, London
Robin Denselow Tuesday April 20, 2004 The Guardian
This was an intriguing evening of wildly different experimental styles from Europe and America............. This was the first UK appearance by Amparanoia, who will surely prove to be one of the discoveries of the year and a hit at the summer festivals. Led by the charismatic and versatile Amparo Sanchez (the band's title is apparently a pun on her name), they played "mestizo" - a blend of salsa, reggae, hip-hop and Cuban influences, with a dash of soul and rock balladry thrown in and sung in Spanish, French and English....... ........Sporting a red headscarf, and clutching the hems of her skirt as she danced, Sanchez flitted between thoughtful, violin-backed ballads and Latin dance songs showing off the brass, percussion, guitars and keyboards of her enthusiastic young band. She had all the makings of a female Manu Chao....... .......It was a brave and generous move for Burns to invite Sanchez and her band to join Calexico for the finale.
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