Colourshop - Catching rainbows

Colourshop were working against the gods when they performed at Rise 46 last Friday (27/06/2014). Not only was there a throng of hard-headed commuters to fight against as we climbed up Battersea Rise in Clapham but serious train mischief which affected London's busiest intersection with devastating consequences. There were lost instruments to contend with and due to the short set-up time neither lighting nor sound were in their favour. Despite this, armed with a determined spirit and Latin panache they turned the night around.

Alfredo Salvati - guitar

Colourshop are Alfredo and Diego Salvati, brothers originally from Rome but now living the dream on London's musical merry-go-round. The elder of the two, Alfredo, held centre stage with his vocals and guitar combo. There is wildness and passion in the eyes, a whispish fuzz to his cheek like he was indeed suckled alongside Romulus and Remus by the legendary she-wolf.

The duo's tone is one of European melancholy initially, but there are melodic grooves and folk narratives too. Understandably with two performers of a young and virile bent many of the themes roll in the long grass with love. Those with longer teeth enjoyed biting on something more intellectually meaty. New composition '3pm', inspired by the Jean Paul Satre quote “Three o'clock is always too late or too early for anything you want to do” was worth seasoning and devouring. It's rhythm bumped down a suitably cobbled street in one's mind.

Diego Salvati

Diego Salvati vocally took the limelight while still languishing in the darkest shadows at Rise 46. Singing the lead on the title track to their new EP, 'Chasing life' I  used a little artistic licence with my pen. Otherwise he would have been just a black blot on this page.

There was space and range amongst Alfredo's lyrics and Diego's sporadic piano, "You and me" epitomised the 'less is more' approach. The organic flavour of this composition suited it's creeping expressive lyrics. It was held together with a groove, an ebb and exposed Diego's talents in a beautiful and striking way, like a stoic Heathcliff on the bleak moors.

There is gold at the end of Colourshop's rainbow, several new tunes gave us a taste of a promising future. The most successful of these revelled in the obsessions of the human condition rather than it's golden rays.

AL.