March 18 James Harman

The first of two special nights for the Bluesville team with performances from the legendary James Harman. This was blues how you expect to hear it, accompanied by 4 extremely talented musicians the venue was bouncing. The drummer and lead guitar were both outstanding but the performances by Lluis on piano was just amazing with great honky tonk keyboards being smashed. This is not to say that everyone else was not as good but he did shine, almost as much as the man himself, who was brilliant on the harmonica and sang the blues like he meant it. Just the way John Belushi would have liked to hear it. it's good to see performers like this coming to the island and makes awelcome change from jazz.

Also worth noting that this is another great music venue.

March 7 & 9 Patti Smith

Teatre Principal in Palma hosted the two Patti Smith & Band concerts in Palma on the 7th and 8th March. Having been lucky enough to go to the first night of these two concerts I was a bit unsure about what to expect. After all Patti Smith has been performing since the early 1970's, which was before most of the audience on this night were born.

But WOW! Yes she still has the effect that early punk had on you, raw, full of energy, lyrics that ask why - loudly, but now showing years of experience in performing and putting together great music. The band, which included her incredibly talented son Jackson and long time collaborator Lenny Kaye, were just perfect. A band that honoured this Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee with its flawless performance. Yes she performed the great classics, Gloria and Because the Night, which were worth paying an entrance fee for alone, but the rest of the concert was packed with great ballads and great rock, leaving an audience standing and breathless.

On the Sunday after these 2 concerts, there was a planned poetry recital by Patti in the Chopin museum in Valldemossa, again which we were lucky to be invited to. This was to be special night for an audience of around only 100 in the moody and beautiful setting of the Real Cartuja monastery. There had been a rumour that she was bringing a guitar and maybe she would play a couple of numbers here, as well as reading some of her poetry. We were not disappointed, far from it. She read some great works of her own and by others and did it it exceptionally well along with a mix of great songs alone with her guitar. Even though she appeared nervous working in what was a very intimate venue in front of an even more nervous audience the evening turned into something very special. I am not sure if it was a coincidence but March 9 is a special day for Patti, it was the day she first met her husband Fred, who sadly died in 1994. It was also the day her great friend, the photographer, Robert Mapplethorpe died (1989). This seemed to add an edge to the experience, an edge that gave us all an insight into the women rather than the rock star. It showed her to be fallible, as we all are, but do not expect, when we get this close to a person exalted as much as she is.

The mood really showed when Patti came back for an encore and wanted to finish with a song dedicated to Mapplethorpe, as she got lost amongst her emotions after the first few lines. For us, the audience, it created a moment that few people can ever have witnessed. Calling on her friend Lenny Kaye to take the guitar from her she decided to do something never done before, and went on to perform along with Kaye a totally unplugged and very emotional version of Because the Night. With an audience joining in on the choruses and lightning flashing across the mountains in the background this was a night of pure rock history in front of a few very lucky people. THANK YOU PATTI SMITH.

Oh and small note if ever you come across wine from the Binigrau cellar, I recommend that you buy it quickly, a big thank you to them for the exceptional wine on this memorable night in Valldemossa.

March 2 2008 Marah & The Deadstring Brothers

The concert season at Teatre LLoseta kicked of with two great rock bands from the USA . The Deadstring Brothers proved to be as good as they sound on their Myspace site. Good rock and roll, great voices and lots of enthusiasm.
This was their first visit to Europe by invitation of the main act, Marah, who I'm sure will not be disappointed
by their choice of support.
Marah, well what can you say about these guys. This is their third visit to Mallorca. They have such a good following, plus they enjoy performing here so much they just had to come back whilst on another action packed tour of Europe. They have an amazingly large fan base in Spain for an American band that perform in English and struggle to say hello in Spanish. But when you see these guys live you understand why. The energy and the power that they put out is amazing. The music is well written and the two brothers, Serge and David Bielanko, have the sort of gruff, smoked too many cigarettes, but just right, rock and roll voices that make you want to join in.
If they come back next year, which I hope they do, let's hope they turn up on a Friday or Saturday night instead of Sunday and although Teatre Lloseta is a great venue, they also appear nearer to Palma so that you can have a drink and really let your hair down. A band like this deserves a good audience!

January 2008 Circ Bover

The first night of San Sebastian was preceded by a visit to the circus. Circ Bover, who are based in Mallorca, had been on at Parc de la Mar in Palma from mid December. A small company of around a dozen, they get you smiling from the moment you walk in. The two clowns help to get everybody in the right mood, along with setting the scene for the evenings entertainment. A very light hearted but extremely professional bunch of young performers that keep your attention throughout.

Having seen the show in Sineu (I think), not long after they first started this tour back in November, I have to give them all a pat on the back for the way they have improved their performances, a very slick show.

If you had to pick a star of the show it has to be Raffa the clown, whose antics had the child in front of us wetting himself with laughter from the off, but he also helps to make the show flow. There is not a point throughout where you are looking at your watch, apart from the break when you want them to come back out and give you more!

This was their last night at Parc de la Mar and their last show until March and even though they obviously had some friends in the audience they received a standing ovation at the end of the evening and it was much deserved.

I'll be looking out for them when they return.

Jan 19 San Sebastian night 1

The annual San Sebastian celebrations in Palma this year produced a bit of a dilemna, well for us foreigners anyway. Once everybody had worked out what was on where, we were spoilt with the choice of 2 great English bands of the 70's and 80's, Echo & The Bunnymen or ELO. My decision was made easier as the band on before Echo was Sterlin. A local band with lead singer Adela Peraita's who has been described to me, by a well known bar in Sa Pobla, as having "the voice of an angel". Their music does not disappoint, playing original rock ballads with catchy tunes and good lyrics. If you come across their album "Destroy", I strongly recommend it.

After a short break to sort out the stage, the main act Echo & The Bunnymen appeared. Even though there had been good reports of the band it was difficult to know what to expect. It had been over 20 years since these guys had been at the top of the tree so you tend to be a bit dubious. But it didn't take long to realise that lead singer McCulloch and guitarist Sergeant had not lost a bit of their original style and swagger. With music from their underated last album Siberia along with the classics that you all know, including seven seas, The killing moon and bring on the dancing horses from their early days the audience was rocking to this great free show. The square, Joan Carles II, was jam packed and a lot of those were Brits, plus we heard a good contingent of scousers speak up when requested. I bet there were a few wheel-less cars in Palma that night :-).

A great music night in Palma, but the oranisers have got to get themselves sorted out. You wait for good concerts and along come two on one night. By all accounts the ELO concert was very good, even though there were none of the original members, they were almost the real deal. But no Mr Blue Sky!

Dec 26 Teatre Buffons

A wonderful theatre with a great atmosphere made this a memorable night out.

The show, by Miguel Gavalan, was very well put together and extremely entertaining. Some very clever illusions made you realise why this performer is so highly rated in Spain. How does he do the handkerchief trick? The only criticism could be that to fully appreciate some of the humour a basic understanding of Spanish was required, although most of it could be worked out.

The food on offer was Pa amb Oli with a choice of 14 different toppings. There was something for everyone from simple vegetarian options, along with fish and meat selections. The large portions were well presented, tasted good, along with the added bonus of selecting 2 different options on one plate, all served with a good garnish. This was a remarkably well priced night out, which included a dessert and a drink for 29.95€. By the end of the evening, after far too many drinks, well it was Christmas, the total bill was less than 40€ a head including a tip.

Keep an eye on http://www.digamemallorca.com/ for updates on what is going on at this intimate theatre in the centre of Palma. We already know of 2 more dates for Miguel Gavalan along with a promising tango show in January.

Dec 15 Handels Messiah

Fantastic performance by a mixture of amateurs and professionals set in the stunning background of La Seu, (Cathedral) Palma. Altthough it does go on for 3 hours and the seats get a bit hard, it is well worth making the effort to see this live performance. The quality of music playing and singing is enough to get the hairs on the back of your neck standing on edge. They will hopefully do this again next Christmas and I strongly recommend getting in the queue early to see it!