With the UK in a grim period of February blues, paired with the rising cost of living and political ineptitude of the highest order, some much-needed escapism is brought to the wind and rain-battered Manchester. This party atmosphere descends on Gorilla in the form of Los Bitchos.
Fresh from the release of their fabulous debut record, Los Bitchos are in fine form as tracks from Let the Festivities Begin are played out to rapturous reception. As escapism goes, Los Bitchos are one of the best remedies for doom and gloom. As the title of the debut suggests, the band are here to party, and party they do. Mixing Turkish psych-funk, post-rock, Beatles-style guitar parts, plus one of the most thrilling bongo solos this reviewer has ever seen.
Los Bitchos hold the entirety of Gorilla in the palm of their hand. The whole room grooves, dances and sways to the mesmerising, long-form instrumental jams that make up Los Bitchos’ back catalog. I don’t believe I have ever seen an entire room as engaged by a band as Wednesday night at Gorilla. They treat us to renditions of a few album tracks, including ‘Pista’, ‘The Link is About to Die’ and ‘Lindsay Goes to Mykinos’- the latter of which is dedicated to the superstar hotelier herself, Ms. Lohan.
The band races through their set, skillfully accompanied throughout by their stellar support act, Noon Garden. The group is almost bursting with energy: having sat on Let The Festivities Begin for months due to lockdown, you can sense that the band is relishing their chance to play these fantastic songs live. This is an energy that resonates deeply with the audience, and in a cramped venue under a Manchester viaduct, we had a fucking party.
What makes Los Bitchos so endearing is their pure charisma. Frontwoman and lead guitarist Serra Petale are chatty and charming all night, laughing and joking with her bandmates (each of whom dedicates different songs to each other), not to mention some of the most expressive ‘guitar face’ I have ever seen on a human being. When combined with the top-tier instrumentals, these factors have all the ingredients for a special show – the band are clearly so incredibly talented and it’s a privilege to watch them jam for the night.
Let The Festivities Begin is out now via City Slang
feature image: Tom Mitchell
