One of the
most interesting things about coming to live in Pamplona has been to
see just how far other Brits have integrated in this town. Are we
mixing with the locals, sharing their customs and culture, are we
forming our own isolated Little Britain, watching Eastenders on
satellite, supping pints and cursing the fact that TVE only seem to
show the Olympic events featuring Usuain Bolt or Spanish athletes in
the water?
The answer
seems to be a bit of both, and these opposite characteristics are
often present within the same person, so it is refreshing to find a
rock band here in Pamplona made up of both local Navarrese and Brits,
playing music influenced by the roots of all in the band. Singing
lyrics in English, the world language, whilst writing lyrics
influenced both by their native cultures and local people, places and
events.
The band
consists of a Scot, of Englishmen with English, Scottish, French and
German roots, and of Pamplonikas “de toda la vida”, and
all have a history of being involved in music. The bass player played
in various bands in Edinburgh, and has been involved with another
band that made something of a name for themselves in Navarra : The
Caravinagres, (the name coming from the cult figure Caravinagre, a
miserable faced man that comes out in times of fiesta and chases
after kids with his stick hitting the local kids.) as were the
singer/guitarist and drummer who have played in various London based
bands, the drummer having served a sentence of twelve years in
Tindersticks, and who were both a part of Pamplona folk band Tomania.
The band also feature the talents of an English trumpet player, while
the lead acoustic guitar and viola are played by musicians from bands
such as Sold Out and La Red Bullet, well known on the Pamplona music
scene.
As for the
music, what an extraordinary mix of rock, pop, folk, swing, blues
boom, country, rumba and whatever else it seems takes their fancy.
The amazing thing is that while it is all these types of music that
have influenced the band, it's impossible to pigeon hole this band.
Hermano Lobo sound like Hermano Lobo. There are some bands that you
recognise immediately no matter that you haven't heard the song
before, and no matter what the genre of the song and Hermano Lobo are
one of those bands.
Looking at
the lyrics, these songs contain an amazingly wide range of topics :
psychological journeys to new places, laments for people that are no
longer physically present, criticism of social injustice, rituals and
rites of local festivals, forest fires, the importance of friendship,
life in local bars and their idiosyncratic owners, murder mysteries,
stagecoaches, famous international authors and more.
The band's
next gig forms part of the CULTUR Navarra series of concerts promoted
by the Gobierno de Navarra. Hermano Lobo play in Bera de Bidasoa,
Navarra on Thursday August 23rd at 8.30pm.
Keep 'em
peeled for one of the best bands you're likely to hear in quite some
time. Good luck lads!
