REVIEW: Chicano Batman w/ Lido Pimienta | 5.3.24 @ Brooklyn Bowl Nashville [PHOTOS]

Chicano Batman
w/ Lido Pimienta
Brooklyn Bowl; Nashville, TN
May 3, 2024

Review and photos by Drake Boling

“Because the ocean is all around us
And life will flow on
As long as there are ripples in the waves
And sun rays from the sun

And while I’m here on earth
I’ll rejoice in its worth”

The last time I was graced with the psychedelic spectacle that is Chicano Batman’s live show was 2019. Since then, they have released two incredible albums, further pushing their boundaries in every sonic dimension. 2020’s Invisible People was a meticulously-produced exploration of their signature soulful tropicalía. Now, they are fresh off the release of one of their most vibrant works to date… Notebook Fantasy, a life-affirming romp through a variety of influences and musical trajectories.

Needless to say, they had a lot of ground to cover when they recently hit the stage at Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl. Even more needless to say: they exceeded every expectation, and delivered a performance that further solidified them in that highly-coveted category of Bands That Are Somehow Even Better Live.

Their show opened with the explosive guitar riff beginning “Beautiful Daughter,” from their new record. Such an elegant marriage of this very personal subject matter, an ode to his daughter, juxtaposing gentle, intimate verses, right up against the mighty chorus with that fuzzy lead riff. That moment where that brassy synth leads into those smooth slides… glorious. Made me want to have a daughter.

Soon after, “Freedom Is Free” saw the whole crowd singing and dancing to the bouncy octaved baseline, celebrating an existential freedom more fundamental than any society or conditions we live within. Next up, The Ford-F-150–commercial-approved “Live Today,” (get that bag, gentlemen 🫡) made me want to buy a truck.

The opening electric organ notes of “Invisible People” rang out, and started a beautiful reflection on the constructed nature of what divides us, “Invisible people \ the truth is we’re all the same \ the concept of race was implanted inside your brain.” To me, it sounded like the band played it maybe like ~10 BPM slower than the studio version, stretching out silences between the sparse verses, making you hang on each word until the huge release of the solipsistic, or perhaps, validating, chorus: “Spinning … the world … around you.” I was pleasantly surprised they played this one.

(Dr. Evil voice) “Magma” was up next, the rare geologically-oriented love song, featuring a pretty fried metaphor about how our memory encases, solidifies, and reinforces our opinions after we no longer can make new impressions, be it relationships lost, loved ones gone, etc– we are stuck in the magma when memory is all we can rely upon. Real galaxy brain shit. The opening guitar riff had me smiling like a fool. This unusually-structured song has, to me, two distinct moments that can only be described as audio orgasm: “We have none / we sink in the ground… searching like moles for our minds / melting into the magma,” and the moment of screeching organ doubling the guitar after the very sexy wah-ed guitar solo. You know it’s a good song when you try to take a video and realize when you watch it back that you have ruined it with your own hideous, overly-enthusiastic singing overtop.  

Humbling every time.

Next, the band’s new drummer Dylan Elise absolutely shredded a drum solo that led into “La Jura,” an unfortunately ever-relevant ballad about police brutality complete with a synth organ solo that will have you doing a stank face the whole time. Eduardo took over the Spanish-sung lead vocals, and, damn, that guy can sing. At the end of the song, Eduardo proclaimed “Free Palestine!” to much applause. For a band whose cultural identity remains so front and center, I appreciated this moment, drawing attention to injustices being perpetrated today just like the ones described in this song.

Before I get too far, I want to take a moment to appreciate opening act Lido Pimienta. A very impressive singer-songwriter hailing from Columbia, she performed as a two-piece, occasionally playing synth / midi controller, but mostly singing. Stage left was a very eclectic percussion setup, manned by Brandon Valdivia, who also releases music under the name Mas Aya. Utilizing a vertical bass drum played from both sides, congas, cymbals and several kinds of chimes, this setup brought a lot of depth to the otherwise tracked arrangements.

Her sound is really out there.

Think cumbia meets synthpop, with some crazy effects and chaotic crescendos, often verging into highly experimental territory. Unique for sure. On a couple songs she did a very cool tremolo effect with her voice, swinging the microphone around rapidly for some interesting vocal manipulations.

About halfway through her set, she revealed that she and Brandon have some children together and called him her baby daddy a couple of times, which was pretty funny. Teach them kids how to play synth and bring ‘em on tour next time! Overall Lido was a delight onstage, tethering very different-sounding songs together with funny, relatable quips in between. She seemed like a natural performer and an excellent, intriguing choice for an opening act.

I also want to take a minute to appreciate Brooklyn Bowl. What a venue. The 3D track of truss extending from the stage and spiraling the middle of the room added another dimension to the lighting show. Floral and prismatic gobos never seemed out of place, and throughout the room the lighting mirrored what was happening onstage. Amid disco balls and other lighting sources, it turned the whole space into an immersive canvas that drew your eye towards the performance.

The band’s stage dressing was relatively straightforward –nothing too flashy or gimmicky– allowing for their performance to shine unobstructed. They’ve come a long way from the billowy-ruffled-Latin-wedding-band aesthetics they employed several album cycles ago (which I also loved). The coolest aspect was that their backdrop was a shimmering, iridescent cyclorama hanging from the truss, reflecting whatever colors shone onto it into glittery reverberations. Classy and trippy at the same time.

Back to the set!

Eduardo then took over guitar and Bardo hopped on bass for “La Manzanita,” a bachata-inspired live-staple from their more traditional first album which had everyone salsa-ing in place. Then came a soulful instrumental, one that I don’t think has been released anywhere yet(?) noted on their setlist as “Requiem.” The extremely chaotic “Lei La” was up next, with each member echoing the call-and response, as Eduardo’s baseline menacingly stepped up and down, reverb-laden effects swirled around.

It also needs to be said that these are all God-tier musicians. Eduardo holds down the low end effortlessly, such a classic player, and endlessly entertaining to watch. His vocals are always welcome as well, adding layers on top or crooning below Bardo’s lead.  Bardo was able to play the frontman role even moreso with the support of Quincy McCrary, a synthlord who absolutely nailed many different tones upstage. This allowed Bardo to hop on his organ whenever a huge lead was needed front and center, but was otherwise mobile & engaged, moving around the stage a lot. Carlos is a machine, his playing always precise and extremely well-defined. He definitely did not miss a note the whole night. He has maybe never missed a note in his life. He stays reserved behind his shades, and seems to be centered from a place of total zen while performing. I also managed to sneak a photo of his pedalboard, which I shall be dutifully studying and trying to recreate with my broke ass for the next couple months because his tones are truly pristine.

The very Strokes-y “Losing My Mind,” came next, complete with a Valensi-esque guitar solo erupting into a simple but strong chorus : “Losing my mind / over you.” If it’s cheesy, consider me consider me fuckin Garfield or the rat from Tom and Jerry. Or some other creature that likes cheese.

“Polymetronomic Harmony” was another unexpected treat, a somewhat barebones garage-rock ripper that fizzled up into a total jam. By the time the third chorus rolled around, all restraint was pulled, all distortion engaged, and an explosive vocal performance made it one of the most memorable songs of the evening, with Bardo jumping down & reaching out over the barrier, screaming right into fan’s admiring faces.

“Color My Life” was surprisingly one of the most fun cuts of the night. The funky, kind of quirky song asserted itself in its psychedelic charm. Featuring squeaky palm-muted guitars, the thumping yet lackadaisical drums, and that insane reverse-octaved guitar solo that sounds like the speakers are sucking the notes back into them. This was one I wasn’t necessarily expecting, but hit way harder live than on their recording and was surely a highlight of the evening.

Bardo’s shirt came off and lights went down for Fly, further saturating the colors onstage. After this came the truly blissful single Era Primavera, one of the breeziest, most life-affirming, sun-kissed songs I’ve heard in a while. The kind of song that makes you want to lie in a field naked and feel the wind on your skin (wtf). On the studio version, it literally sounds like a choir of angels are proclaiming their love, continually recommitted every spring. On stage, the entire band did their best angel impression and the result was nothing short of miraculous.

Their set closed with the cosmically-wise “Cycles of Existential Rhyme,” the first song I heard by the lads that made me feel like I was hearing something truly special. Bardo’s organ played that lead so powerfully, and I must commend new drummer Dylan Elise who absolutely nailed the interesting fills, hard stops and latin rhythms in this complex track. The band exited the stage to uproarious applause…the kind of fervent appreciation that would have told a blind man that they had sold out a much larger venue…

They reemerged moments later, and dove into “Fairytale Love,” a downtempo love song about how love in reality isn’t always the way we idealize it. Although this is the closer of their most recent album and an interesting, understated meditation, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I could name 15 songs by the band I’d rather them hit for the first song of their encore. Still, Bardo’s vocals shined (shone? shoned?), and the sold the track.

To close the show, they played their fan-favorite “Black Lipstick,” an irresistible song that the audience knew every word to. From the opening keyboard notes the whole crowd went nuts, and the disproportionately huge hit was the perfect end to a perfect set.

If it feels like I just listed basically every song they played in their set, it’s because I damn-near did. 

That’s just how good this band’s live show is – they are somehow able to pack in something memorable into each song. If you haven’t listened to Chicano Batman, consider this an invitation to bless your ears with one of the most unique groups around. Absolutely unmissable show.

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All photos by Drake Boling

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Setlist:

Beautiful Daughter
Itotiani
Freedom Is Free
Live Today
Invisible People
Magma
La Jura
La Manzanita
Requiem
Moment of Joy
Lei La
Losing My Mind
Polymetronomic Harmony 
Color My Life
The Way You Say It
Fly
Era Primavera 
Cycles of Existential Rhyme

Fairytale Love
Black Lipstick