Ill Niño / Ektomorf
Biebob, Vosselaar, Belgium
30th March 2013
Ill Niño decided to bring their Latin vibe to little Belgium with a stop on their European Epidemic Tour, and they brought the Hungarian band Ektomorf with them to warm up the crowd. Their latest album Epidemia was released in October 2012 so this tour was the perfect opportunity for the band to introduce the new songs.
Even though I said little Belgium, it did take us a while to get to the venue. At some point I thought we wouldn’t make it in time to see Ektomorf, but we were lucky. When we entered the small but cosy venue the band was still setting up their gear. And I was in for a pleasant surprise! Ektomorf, live, is raw, heavy and in your face. Songs like Black Flag and Unscarred are filled with an angry kind of energy and Zoltán Farkas sounds a lot more intense live. Although I did get the feeling that his voice was drowned by the music. The crowd wasn’t really bothered by this and a good part of them decided to give it their all. Still, I’m under the impression that the main part of the audience came to the Biebob to see Ill Niño. [3/5]
After this set it was time for the people to cool down and wait for Ill Niño to light the place on fire once again. And I mean it, by the end of the night the temperature inside of the venue reached tropical heights. Vocalist Cristian Machado must have been sweating like hell in his jacket. That didn’t stop him from pouring his entire being into every single song. Like a ringleader he dragged everyone along, accompanied by charming guitarists and a drummer and percussionist who clearly enjoyed themselves. These two even had a little drum battle going on.
If You Still Hate Me, I Am Loco and When it Cuts made the crowd go wild. These songs build up slowly and make everybody sing along, until the song and the crowd explode into a powerful and musically very clean yet strong madness. And this happened over and over again. Songs from the new album like Eva (for the ladies) and Epidemia were also popular with the crowd, and besides more heavy guitars and drums we also got to enjoy intense, screeching and roaring vocals.
Halfway through the show we had a impromptu break, but it wasn’t the band who decided to take it easy. The Biebob thought that Ill Niño was a bit too heavy, and in the middle of a song the sound went out. The band handled it professionally though and after a few minutes the rowdy crowd could go back to their crowd-surfing, people-pushing and devil-horn-showing behaviour. And this took place almost the entire show. Another example of the fact that the crowd loved the show came along with Te Amo…I Hate You. I spotted many middle fingers and people singing along. And although quite a few photographers clustered together on the front row, they switched up taking pictures with head banging, so it didn’t look like a dead zone out there.
I was happy to spot some of their typical Latin sounds in songs like What Comes Around and Corazon of Mine. The ‘acoustic’ guitars appeared on stage for a moment and took us on a little trip to an exotic destination. That’s also why I was hoping for the Spanish version of How Can I Live, pero me encanta la canción en Inglés también. [4/5]
The next day, after the ringing in my ears subsided, I felt glad I got to enjoy these two bands live. Like I said, I was pleasantly surprised by Ektomorf. I really liked their sound, which sounds deliciously heavy live. I did miss a little bit more action from the crowd.
Ill Niño treated us to a selection of their best songs, and a treat it was! The entire set turned into an intense session filled with energy, passion and amazing music. It’s always great when the audience is having fun, but it seemed like the band was enjoying it as well. The small venue made the show seem a lot more intimate and powerful at the same time, and improved the interaction between the band and the crowd.
Freya Cherlet
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