live music review: rodrigo y gabriela, palais theatre, 19 april 2011

By Alex Wycherley

Mexico has given us many things. Tacos. Large Hats. Even the contraceptive pill. But most recently, they’ve given every aspiring guitarist just cause to seriously reassess their skills.

For those unfamiliar with their work, Rodrigo y Gabriela are an acoustic duo who have managed to jam flamenco spirit, heavy metal grunt and rhythmic hand percussion into a single fret and a flurry of the wrist. Husband, wife, vegan and avid animal rights activists, the pair returned to our shores this week to play in front of a packed Palais Theatre.

Opening the show in darkness with the ever-powerful ‘Hanuman’, they proceeded to work through a winding set list featuring works from both 11:11 and their 2007 self-titled release. “Probably a few of these songs we don’t really remember,” chuckles Rodrigo Sanchez as he wanders the stage, “but we’re here to have fun… so please forget about the fuck-ups we might have.”

Similar to their albums however; individual tracks were difficult to distinguish, if not entirely irrelevant; their music plays more like a continuous instrumental stream. As Rodrigo tactfully put it, “we don’t have a set list tonight… we have options”.  Indeed, the majority of breaks in play were mid-song, and seemingly for nothing more than effect or, in one case, to request a volunteer audience member to improvise (surprisingly adept) vocals. Much to my disappointment their incredible rendition of ‘Stairway to Heaven’ was absent from the night, but Rodrigo’s surprise introduction of a wah pedal (and at one stage a glass bottle as a makeshift guitar slide) made for interesting interpretations of their own music.

Ever the on-stage minimalists, the pair wandered at leisure around a stage bearing little more than a few bare light bulbs and two black crates with the lettering “R&G” inscribed on the side, on which they’d occasionally rest. On occasion, one would leave the stage, and it would become abundantly clear that each is a prolific musician in their own right.

In the same way one idly watches a couple dancing the tango with vague fascination and amazement, so too did I find myself captivated at the intimacy these two manage to concoct with two guitars and an empty stage. When Rodrigo wasn’t assuming his traditional power stance and Gabriela her inconceivable strumming technique, they were playing mere inches from one another’s face, grinning playfully. I’m not normally one for public displays of affection, but I couldn’t help but wish more courting processes involved mimicking your partner’s guitar riffs.

After their 2009 release of 11:11, they spent the better part of 2 years on the road, spanning everywhere from the Falls Festivals to an exclusive party alongside Beyoncé at the White House. Since then, Gabriela says, they spent 5 months in the studio with cinematic musical director Hans Zimmer (of Inception fame) for the upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean sequel. “He said ‘I can’t make more pirate music…I just want some crazy fucking guitars’”, explained Gabriela, with her endearing combination of softly-spoken broken English, and intermittent swearing.

The pair also mentioned plans for a new album in the near future; but not giving too much away about their upcoming release, except to divulge that it would have a distinct Cuban vibe. Recording is set to take place in Havana later this year.

Tonight they wrap up their brief Australian tour with the Byron Bluesfest, ahead of scattered dates in the northern hemisphere.

(Images credit: Zahra Khamissa.)