Chicano Batman and Lido Pimienta bring music and a message to Union Transfer – WXPN

Chicano Batman took the Union Transfer stage this week, brimming with freshness. They had a confidence about them that only comes from being in the industry for almost fifteen years. The Los Angeles band is made up of five incredible instrumentalists, who are also excellent performers. Their set was pretty smooth and a lot of fun, highlighted by a few key moments.

Bassist Eduardo Arenas wore his sunglasses all night and took the mic throughout the set, looking stoic and mysterious. But as soon as he got up for the 14-year-old track “La Manzanita,” he sent the crowd into a frenzy. Arenas started the song with a chant of “Viva Palestina,” using it to set the pace of the song. After the chant ended, the crowd continued to move forward. During instrumental breaks, the audience clapped and sang along as if it were a collaborative song.

Chicano Batman | photo by Danielle Ciampaglia for WXPN

Singer Bardo seemed to be having a difficult night vocally. On records, his voice seems to have a Julian Casablancas quality. A little restrained, but nothing he sings sounds painful. During a live performance, Bardo’s voice seemed to lack the power it has in recordings. A potential sore throat didn’t stop him from having as much fun as possible. He worked on stage and in front of the crowd in every song, and played an impressive number of instruments throughout the show.

Lido Pimienta | photo by Danielle Ciampaglia for WXPN

Opener Lido Pimienta almost stole all the limelight. The Colombian-Canadian artist is funny, charismatic and incredibly talented. She is also a mother and the show took place on Mother’s Day. She had this to say:

“Today is Mother’s Day, and I just can’t feel excited about it… when there are so many mothers right now finding their babies under the rubble. .” As a mother of three, she said, it’s difficult to celebrate a day like this. while “all that can be alleviated and helped by what we call our government, but the government doesn’t take care of me, the government doesn’t take care of us.” Nevertheless, she says she is optimistic about a bright future and is confident in the cultural change she sees.

Lido Pimienta | photo by Danielle Ciampaglia for WXPN

Lido Pimienta’s set was filled with haunting vocals and incredibly complex percussion as well as messages of peace and liberation. In a new song, she sings “The po-po, the pigs, they don’t take care of me. But students do. Those words seemed to resonate with the crowd, with this show taking place amid student unrest across the country and world. “Peace,” she said, “should not be a dirty word.”

This show, while fun and energetic, was also dark. It was a reminder of how lucky we are to feel safe in a concert hall and a testament to how we can create community through music and art.