“Where is he?”
My friend was too short to see the stage at Koko, but although I could see the stage, I couldn’t see Freddy, he’d jumped down into the crowd.
I turned to my left, the crowd parted like the red sea and Freddy was there, glistening in sweat, shouting and throwing his arms up as he led a conga line around the floor.
The last time I came to see Quantic and his Combo Barbaro it was supposed to be at Koko but it was moved to the Scala. I didn’t get Freddy’s surname then, but he was back with Alfredito Linares on piano and Fernando Silva on Bass. They were joined by the mighty mighty voice of Alice Russell, who also brought along her long time strings collaborator, Mike Simmonds.
The first song with Alice was I’ll keep my light in my window with Alfredito’s nimble fingers plinking their way through like a wave on the bow of Alice’s powerhouse voice. It was followed by Magdalena, a latin tinged sunny, 60’s soul number. Su Suzy, with it’s guitar and piano licks inducing the hips of the crowd to sway, I’d Cry a good old fashioned strings v keys duel, and Look around the corner, along with a couple of classic Quantic tracks including the funk filled Pushin’ on.
As usual people were too busy thrusting their phones in the air to actually clap. Maybe I’m just getting old but I miss the sound and feel of a whole crowd clapping along.
I had worried whether my friend would enjoy it, as she hadn’t heard of either Quantic or Alice, but at the end she revealed all.
“I did enjoy it, and you can tell because I didn’t get my phone out all night”. Next time I just need to get her clapping.
I do personally prefer the Tradition in Transition album. While I love Alice’s voice, there are too few songs I really love (such as Hurry on Now), but seeing both of them on stage performing was something I was not going to miss, and it was worth it.
I did wonder if Flat Cap and his Mrs from Ireland I met at the Scala had come over again, but I did find Freddy’s surname this time, Colorado.
QuanticandAlice website here
a strange kind of peace 