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LOS ANGELES, CA-
“…Up next was Mexican rock band Zoé. Looking around the venue, it was clear why this was a co-headlining tour. Zoé has a ton of dedicated LA fans and they came out in droves to support the band. I think it would be safe to say that the crowd was just as much there for Zoé as they were for Metric. The floor was packed, and eager fans cheered loudly in anticipation, awaiting their beloved band.
Zoé took the stage to deafening squeals and cheers. Girls in the front row were losing their minds. Leon Larreegui, Zoé’s lead singer, wearing a colorful, traditional Mexican poncho, walked out, cool and collected, and took center stage. The band kicked their set off with “No Hay Mal Que Dure” from their latest album, last year’s Aztlan, which won the Grammy award for Best Latin Rock Album. The opening synths instantly got my 80’s loving heart pumping.
It didn’t matter much that I couldn’t understand all of the lyrics. I was digging the vibe right away. I was especially curious to transcribe the lyrics when I caught that the last line of the song sings out ‘Chinga Tu Madre.’ Now, I may not be fluent in Spanish, but I knew that those are some harsh words. I later read that ‘No Hay Mal Que Dure’ is a Mexican saying that translates to something along the lines of ‘no evil lasts forever.’ Perhaps this sentiment was written in reference to the current political climate…
Zoé kept the party going playing tracks from their older albums including “10 A.M.”, “Fin De Semana”, “Poli, Via Latea”, and “No Me Destruyas”. The crowd because very excited when the opening keys of “Labios Rotos” (song which won a Latin Grammy for Best Rock Song in 2011) began playing. With each song played, I could hear the reason for this ban’d long standing success . These guys are super talented and put on a great show.
I did notice that a lot of the psychedelic guitar riffs unleashed by Zoé’s amazing guitarist, Sergio Acosta, brought to mind some of my favorite New Wave bands such as The Cure and The Smiths. To me, being compared to these bands’ musical stylings is a compliment, so needless to say, I was into it. The rest of the band, including Angel Mosqueda (bass), Jesus Baez (keys) and Rodrigo Guardiola (drums) were equally impressive and really brought the set to life. The excellent musicianship mixed with an array of funky technicolor strobes and trippy screen graphics made the performance a unique experience and the energy of the crowd was off the charts.
Zoé played a number of songs from their latest album including “Azul”, “Temor Y Temblor” and “Renacer”. They also played the moody track “Hielo”, which I found myself particularly fond of with its dark, synth wave approach and a chorus line “Ponle Hielo a tu corazon/ put ice on your heart.” Zoé ended their set playing two older songs, “Sone” and the upbeat fan favorite “Love”, both from 2003’s Rocanlover. “Love” was the perfect song choice to end the set, as you could absolutely feel the love the fans had for the band and I can’t blame them, Zoé is a totally compelling band to watch!…”
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LIVE CLIPS
