As the clock struck 11, it wasn't difficult to find where the performances were taking place at Brás Station on the Red Line – just follow the sound that echoes down its corridors. The station’s debut at the Red Bull Sounderground was undertaken by the German duo Mellow and Pyro.
The first surprise came with the musicians’ appearance, their faces were painted to match the colour of their costumes. Mellow, all in red, took the reins of the guitar, while Pyro entertained the crowd with a puppet. There were plenty of gimmicks to spice up the duo’s lively reggae: a harmonica, maracas, an infinite supply of whistles, wigs, doll’s heads and juggling items of every kind – balls, pins, and even knives.
To avoid the difficulty of communicating in Portuguese, they had made some cards with drawings and phrases. The crowd, beginning the week rather sheepishly, would slowly gather and constantly change with the arrival of each train. “Mondays are always stressful for everyone, this is doing a hell of a lot of good”, said metro attendant Raimundo, smiling as Pyro walked around amongst the crowd.
Soon after, a good number of people were following the musical pranks. There were teenagers laughing, metro workers taking a break on their shift, and some people who even took out their immovable headphones to check out a little of what was happening there.
Blues for the masses
While some Germans were shaking up Brás, a small crowd was growing around the duo Mustard and Custard at Ana Rosa Station. They didn’t have as many gimmicks, but a harmonica and guitars were more than enough to please their subterranean audience.
The highlight was show-stealing Dinorah, a 74-year old woman who gave into the blues; with her sunglasses and a smile on her face, she didn’t stop dancing a single minute. Much to the crowd’s joy, she announced she’d be attending the jam on Friday, in which all the invited musicians will play.
But it didn’t take long for someone to join the illustrious spectator. Nathan, 4, on his way back from the doctor’s with his mum Rosângela, took a detour and partnered up with Dinorah, proving that age is not an obstacle in mastering the air guitar.
After the performance, Kadu Abecassis, the Brazilian half of the duo, told how he felt it was worth the effort. “The only thing lacking is choice. All you need to do is put on some good music and people will really stop,” says Kadu, adding a few words we can’t write here out of decorum but which leave no doubts of their success. And this is only the beginning.
Check back in to Red Bull Sounderground for the next update from Brazil soon
Comments
Add a comment