In contrast to the speed and underlying ephemerality of our times, the process of maturing around the work is already rare. For almost two decades, CAVEIRA has become a somewhat wandering entity, but one that carries a certain mythology. The scarce and fiery appearances on stage have made their concerts genuine events. Between 2005 and 2006, and in a hotbed of author’s editions, some home recordings emerged – today a kind of artefact. África and Cena Espírita were recordings in CD format that materialised, spontaneously and passionately, all the fervour of a jazz and blues heritage cloaked in an untethered rock mantle. Quebranto came out at the same time on the Rafflesia label (owned by Afonso Simões, from Gala Drop), which was home to a whole creative stream of people like Calhau!, Tropa Macaca, and Coclea. Brief documents, more or less official, whose historical and artistic values now lead us to this new life for CAVEIRA.

ficar vivo seems like a stoic, natural statement in this logic that serves as the framework for the appearance and title of the first album (worthy of this formal identity) by Pedro Gomes’ band. Pedro Sousa’s saxophone is joined by Gabriel Ferrandini’s drums and Miguel Abras’ electric bass. Recorded at Namouche Studios, it was mastered by the master Tó Pinheiro da Silva, perhaps the most important Portuguese sound engineer of all time, responsible for key works that shape Portuguese popular culture. The three songs that make up ficar vivo bring the electricity of Gomes’ strings (more earthy than ever) to a sensory feast beyond rock and noise. The cathartic construction feels real and offers an ascent that is sometimes Dantesque, sometimes redemptive – but always with a smoky crackle in the background. There’s room for simmering and detonation in a setting where every instrument vibrates and echoes, as delicate as it is portentous. A ritualistic disc in its way, anchored in the desire to break through and transcend. On the other hand, it’s a tremendous offering after a long wait – and tonight it’s presented in the room where CAVEIRA’s seismic energy has been witnessed most often. Let’s celebrate. NA

Raised in Portugal and emigrated to the UK, it was upon returning to his second home that the Portuguese-São Toméan became an MC in 2019. In 2022, after a remarkable wave of impactful singles (“GANG CONSPIRACY”, “WAG1” or “PEGA MIC” to name a few), his first studio album appeared: Escrevo Com Sangue, entirely produced by MikelPotter, served as a re-presentation of one of the most distinctive assets of Creole-sung drill here. And what a unique and distinctive thing it is, its mark on the culture. About to release a new album, the method that characterises him is to sing what he lives, show where he comes from and do it like nobody else. You can’t ask for much more than that. Reality is priceless!