Live Review

Rodrigo y Gabriela – Carling Academy, Liverpool

• 31st May 2007

One wonders how a Mexican spanish-guitar duo playing Metallica covers can fill the largest room in the Carling Academy complex, but after the first song its all clear. The amplification of the guitars alongside the percussive playing of Gabriela do more than fill the space; Rodrigo y Gabriela are making classical guitar metal, with all the right tools. The flamenco hand palms of Gabriela pounding on the guitar provide the beat which Rodrigo wails over, Vai-style.

Going from One by Metallica to Take Five by the Dave Brubeck Quartet, the duo cover a range of genres and flow in and out of songs brilliantly. In fact, the transitions are so fluid that the duo can pull off putting four or five song clips together, without it sounding like a medley. Many songs off their newly released album were played, which were consistent in their fluidity and power, again provided by Gabriela’s pounding of the guitar.

The light and multimedia show was one not to be missed. With four cameras, two angled at each guitar, the back of the stage lit up with projections of the finger movements and percussive hand techniques of the duo. With lights and video working together, the compositions of the duo were lifted to a new height as strobe fixations took over the stage at the climax of the encore and video footage showed Rodrigo moving over the neck of the guitar at lightning speed.

For a Spanish guitar duo that was recently still seen busking on the streets of Copenhagen, the duo has moved a long way and is more energetic and eager to play than ever. An amazing crowd response (so enthusiastic that Rodrigo had them lead the vocals to ‘wish you were here’) showed that this duo will go far and wide. Be sure to catch them at their next big show: they will be opening for Muse at the Wembley Arena. We have not to see the last of this Mexican Power-Duo.

Picture Courtesy Of Stone Images: [mail]