BAM Festival, part I: Barcelona meets two great artists

Koko-Jean Davis and Connor J. O'Brien. So different in their music styles, attitudes and movements on stage, but at the same time so similar in what matters. Passion for what they do. They were the main highlights of our journey among the different concerts of Barcelona Acció Musical (BAM) Festival 2011 edition yesterday night.

The Excitements at BAM Festival. Photo: Bloodbuzzed

The Excitements. Our first stop of the night, at Plaça Reial, wasn't really a mandatory one for us. Classic soul and rhythm & blues, didn't sound specially promising. But these low expectations changed from the very first second Koko-Jean Davis entered the stage, making this local band a teleportation music time machine, destination Motown many decades ago. A talented band with a thunderous frontwoman, relentless in her attempt to connect with the audience. Koko is a real, fierce "stage animal". Imagine a XXI century reincarnation of the young Tina Turner, always in motion, with a tremendous magnetism and an excellent voice. Their music is of course light-years from being groundbreaking. But carried by Koko there's no possible argument they are capable of giving a great show and make you enjoy every second of it.

Villagers yesterday night at BAM. Photo: Bloodbuzzed

Villagers. At the small but wonderful venue for a night concert the Plaça del Rei is we discovered, better said confirmed, that Mr. Conor J. O'Brien and his band has "that something". It is not quite explicable, is a bit mysterious as a matter of fact. Because being objective, their album "Becoming a Jackal" is far from perfect. And O'Brien has a nice voice but you wouldn't call him an outstanding singer. And besides they don't offer anything that we could qualify as revolutionary. But they thrill you. At times, yesterday night, got completely haunted by them. The musical passages and twists in some songs, the harmonies, the sense of darkness and that there's so much going inside the surface of the tune and the absolute control that Connor has of his songs, the power and meaning he gives to his words, are mesmerizing. I bet everyone at the venue felt the same yesterday. This Irish have that "magic". A very special band.

More concerts in a few hours, if the rain allows us!