Solquemia!

Went to Hippo to see a flamenco guitar duo called Solquemia - they were amazing! They played in a style very similar to that of Rodrigo Y Gabriela: one played a flamenco rhythm and the other played the main melody. They weren't as fast paced, but the lead guitarist played without a pick. He was able to finger pick strings very quickly using a walking finger technique very similar to that of a bass guitarist whilst at the same time incorporating a flamenco finger flicking style.

For the majority of the set it was just the two guitarist, but in the audience there was what appeared to be a group of musicians who were also friends with the band. They would occasionally join in from the crowd with a variety of percussion instruments, but towards the end of the gig they all got on stage to play and sing.

The highlight for me was a Columbian song about grinding coffee: the singer performed with such a monumental amount of passion. If this was his performance for a song about grinding coffee, I wonder what a Columbian love song would be like...

They're playing another handful of gigs in Canberra which I'l definitely make an effort to attend.