Cheeto’s Magazine at Tótum Revolútum
15 July 2024 (Tótum Revolútum-Barcelona)
Venue: Auditori Joan Bordetas, Calàbria 66
Photography: Jordi Amela (@amela_photo_concert)
Writer: Monique van der Kolk
Cheeto’s Magazine are:
Esteban Navarro: Vocals
Matias Lizana: Keys
Manel Orella: Guitar
Alex Marques: Bass
Gerard Sala: Drums
The crowd files into Calàbria 66. Some already know (or, more precisely, will have guessed) which band they’ve come to see today: the video the organisers put out advertised “a surprise concert” while the person in question ate their way through a bag of Cheetos and read a magazine. A few minutes before the show starts, encouraging shouts can be heard backstage. Let the madness begin!
I have to be honest: this is the second time I’ve seen Cheeto’s Magazine live, and the first time was about 12 years ago. So I don’t quite know what to expect. I decide to just go with it.
The five musicians who make up the band come up on stage. And since I don’t know their names, I’ll give each one the name of a colour, matching the colour of the (tight, very tight) outfit each is wearing. At the same time, I like to think of the secret names of each member of the “Reservoir Dogs” cast, where every actor has a colour for a name. We have Fuchsia on guitar; Orange on drums; Blue on keys and (lead) vocals; Green on the other keyboard and more vocals; and finally Yellow on bass. All five are grinning from ear to ear. Something I, too, will soon be doing.
Through the set, there are moments when I think I’m watching a gig performed by a bag of confetti. At other moments, The Muppets or Fraggle Rock. Or even a cartoon. And no, I don’t say that dismissively. I say it because of the colours, the voices, the dynamics, the madness, the sounds, the samples. Cheeto’s Magazine never bore you with the show they put on. They manage to give their 20-minute songs a whole other dimension. Personally, I loved it. Besides — if Peter Gabriel could do what he did in early Genesis, if Fish painted his face in his Marillion days, why not Cheeto’s?
Musically, what can I say? This musical rainbow is a pleasure for the ears: there’s a lot of talent and a lot of creativity on this stage. There are touches of glam rock, reggae, growled vocals, adverts (Licor del Polo breath!)… but all wrapped in a sound of pure progressive rock. This surprise concert was, without a doubt, a gift.
At the end of the roughly hour-and-a-half set, they tell us this concert was their dress rehearsal before heading off to Germany — specifically, Night of the Prog at Loreley. An honour for them to be there, no doubt about it!
And if the reaction, the applause and the shouts from the crowd at Calàbria 66 were what they were… at Loreley… they’re going to smash it!