| The last 3 dates of the Street Beat Festival tour started off a couple of days after the almost massive demonstration type gigs with at least more than 16000 people in Rome on the 11th and 12th of April. Especially the second day the gig was like a celebration of Banda Bassotti's latest album, "Asi Es Mi VIDA", which is a collection of rebel songs recorded with their comrades like Seanchai & the Unity Squad, Uxia Pedreira, Chumbawamba. As usual, I should say if you are used to Banda Bassotti's gig, it seems all of the people were there to sing or shout or cry out all of the songs together with the band in that evening. |
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But this time round, Banda Bassotti was touring with Brahman, a hard core "Samurai" rock band, from Japan whose combination I found a bit strange as musically they are completely different. Although I speak the same language as Brahman, I hear no words from their songs at all in the live performances and, even checking the words in the album booklet, none of the songs is political at all while Banda Bassotti is truelly political and incredibly radical. The only thing I found common in between those 2 bands is explosive energy on the stage which I guess is a good enough reason why they are touring together. |
| Still I believe it was a strange experience for Brahman to tour and play together with Banda Bassotti in Italy. Here in Japan, a band or artist plays at a venue called "Live House", a Japanglish wording of a venue, which is specifically made for live music. Thus people buy a ticket and come to a "Live House" specifically to see a band. Drinking, having a chat or fun with friends as such is something additional and, in fact, in most of the cases, one is forced to buy a drink or what they call a "drink ticket" to get in which means that everyone except a few snobby media people is just waiting for nothing but a band to play. |
| However in Italy, Banda Bassotti plays at completely different venue like centro social which started off as squatted building and become a community center of alternative Italy. I hear there are about 150 centro socials all over in Italy and there and some big ones have not only a stage, but club, bars, restaurants or library as such as well as a section to provide free medical services or evening classes for the poor and unemployed people.... Also the Banda Bassotti plays anywhere possible if there is any chance and reason for. | 
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 Brahman toured with Banda Bassotti at a similar venues run by centro social last year, but surprisingly they did not know anything about the back ground and history of this "centro social" at all when I asked about it to them. Although, I guess, the Japanese boys should have been used to see relatively strange venues in comparison with the ones in Japan, this location in Pisa was more than a surprise... 'Cause there was no roof on the stage in spite of the fact that it was open air one in a park-ish place. We are not that familiar of the weather in Italy and there should not have been any worry in this season, but we all were wondering what would have happened if it were rainy or windy or that kind. The Italian are laid back? Too easy? I never know, or it might be a usual thing in the Western world or Japan might have been the only exception to worry about this kind too much, but still the first few words coming out of our mind was, "I don' f**king believe this...". Also there was another surprise. When we got there, there were some kids bands playing and kids everywhere. I was not sure the age range, but they appeared like mid teens and we later found that it was a part of a student event. There was no dressing room prepared and we all were hanging around in the park amongst the kids and killing time till the kids finish the session. |
 Nobody explained for us what the event was all about, but from the poster with my poor knowledge of Italian, I could see this is something to do with "Anti-War" thing as usual. Here again, we found "PACE" to stop the bloody "mass destruction" of Iraq by the US and Brits. Believe me, here in Italy, the majority of the people are insisting "Contro La Guerra" like us Japanese. The difference in between us, the Japanese, and them, Italian, is they are not silent, but make noise and give us a sign of their attitude which I do respect. |
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| In the evening, we could see the full moon there high above in the sky when the bands played. In Pisa, Italy, there are some people coming here to sing loud to rebel against the madness by the super power's violence and probably in Iraq under the same full moon, people are trembling with fear in silence and facing to bloodshed... What a hell! |
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-->part1 photos by hanasan |
| 19th April in Bergamo : Brahman (part1) / Banda Basssotti (part2 & 3) |
| 18th April in Genova : Brahman (part1)/ Banda Basssotti (part2 & 3) |
| 17th April in Pisa : Intro / Brahman (part1 & 2) / Banda Basssotti (part3 & 4) |
| 12th April @ Villaggio Globale in Rome : The Unity Squad (part1 & 2) / Rude Bones (3 & 4) / Mongol 800 (5, 6)/ Banda Bassotti (7, 8, 9, & 10) |
| 11th April @ Villaggio Globale in Rome : Betaggari (part1 & 2) / Brahman (3 & 4) / Banda Bassotti (5, 6 & 7) / Obrint Pas (8) |
| 29th March @ Leonkavallo in Milan : Intro / Dobernman (part1 & 2) / Capdown (part3 & 4) / Banda Bassotti (part5, 6 & 7) |
| 28th March @ Pedro in Padova : Capdown (part1) / Doberman (part2 & 3) / Banda Bassotti (part4, 5 & 6) |
| 27th March @ Container in Bologna : Doberman (part1 & 2) / Capdown (part3 & 4) / Banda Bassotti (part5, 6 & 7) |
| 26th March @ Auditorium Flog in Firence : Capdown (part1) / Doberman (2 & 3) / Banda Bassotti (4 & 5) |
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The official site : Banda Bassotti http://www.bandabassotti.org/ Gridalo Forte Records --http://www.gridaloforte.com/ Brahman http://www.tc-tc.com/
*Rude Bones、Doberman、Mongol 800、Brahmanといった日本のバンドが大挙してバンダ・バソッティやヨーロッパのバンドとツアーするStreet Beat Festivalの詳細はこちらでチェックできます。
Banda Bassoti 日本ツアー・スケジュールはこちら
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the latest album
 "Asi Es Mi VIDA" the previous album  "アザー・フェイス・オブ・ジ・エンパイア" recommended  Banda Bassotti Live "Un Altro Giorno D'Amore" GFR043 check the albums? |
hanasan's works-->2004  2003 Theatre Brook (27th Dec @ Shinjuku Liquid Room)Robert Randolph and The Family Band (11th Dec @ Nagoya Club Quattro)Robert Randolph and The Family Band (9th Dec @ Shinjuku Liquid Room)BETAGARRI (29th Nov @ Uneno The Church)SORROW (27th Nov @ Sendai Junk Box)SORROW (26th Nov @ Koriyama #9)BETAGARRI with The 3peace, SHOP LIFTER, & MIZZ(24th Nov @ Club Phase, Takadanobaba) Bleach (22nd Nov @ Shinjuku Antiknock)おじゃんになるかも (6th Nov @ Shimokitazawa 440)Sleep Walker (17th Oct @ morph_tokyo)Thee Michelle Gun Elephant (11th Oct @ Makuhari Messe)Elvis Costello (1st Oct. @ Nakano Sun Plaza)Katteni Shiyagare (29th Sep @ Shibuya Club Quattro)KEMURI (20th Sep. @ Kawasaki Club Citta)KEMURI with CHAOS (10th Sep. @ Oita Drum Top's)KEMURI with ARTS (9th Sep. @ Kagoshima Caparvo Hall)KEMURI with Dashing Straight (7th Sep. @ Fukuoka Drum Logos)KEMURI with SUCK DOWN (5th Sep. @ Hiroshima Quattro)KEMURI (4th Sep. @ Yonago Belier)KEMURI (30th Aug. @ Chiba Look)KEMURI (16th Aug. @ Rising Sun Rock Festival)Theatre Brook (15th Aug. @ Rising Sun Rock Festival)Theatre Brook (22nd Jun. @ Shinjyuku Liquid)Hore! Hore! Live Vol.2 feat. Salsa Gum Tape, Banda Bassotti, and Kiyoshi Imawano (13th May. @ Shibuya Club Asia)Banda Bassotti with Doberman, Oi Skall Mates, and Rude Bones(12th May. @ Kawasaki Club Citta)Banda Bassotti (11th May. @ Osaka Big Cat)Banda Bassotti (10th May. @ Nagoya Bottom Line)Banda Bassotti (5th May. @ Ueno Church)Jackson Browne ( 4th May. @ Nakano Sun Plaza)Jackson Browne (2nd May. @ Nakano Sun Plaza)The Street Beat Festival featuring Brahman and Banda Bassotti (19th Apr. @ Paci' Paciana, in Bergamo)The Street Beat Festival featuring Brahman and Banda Bassotti (18th Apr. @ Zapata, in Genova)The Street Beat Festival featuring Brahman and Banda Bassotti (17th Apr. @ Giornata dell'Arte e della Creativita Studentesca in PISA)Nada Trio, Agricantus & Mongol 800 (13th Apr. @ Piazza Del Tribuni Rome)The Street Beat Festival featuring The Unity Squad, Rude Bones, Mongol 800 and Banda Bassotti (12th Apr. @ Villaggio Globale Rome)The Street Beat Festival featuring Betagarri, Brahman, Banda Bassotti and Obrint Pas (11th Apr. @ Villaggio Globale Rome)The Street Beat Festival featuring Capdown, Doberman and Banda Bassotti (28th Mar. @ Centro Social Padova)The Street Beat Festival featuring Banda Bassotti, Capdown and Doberman (27th Mar. @ Centro Social Bologna)The Street Beat Festival featuring Capdown, Doberman and Banda Bassotti (26th Mar. @ Auditorium Flogin Firenze)Sleep Walker (21st Mar. @ the Room, Shibuya)Katteni Shiyagare (20th Mar. @ Shinjuku Liquid Room)Johnny Marr & The Healers (1st Mar. @ Shinjuku Liquid Room)The Parkinsons (20th Feb. @ Kyoto Takutaku)Prince Buster with the Determinations with DJ Gaz Mayall (10th Feb. @ Shinjuku Liquid Room)The Parkinsons, WAKUSEI (6th Feb. @ Juso Fandango)The Parkinsons, LOLITA NO.18, HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE, ZARIGANI5, WAKUSEI (27th Jan. @ Sapporo Bessie Hall)The Parkinsons, DEFLEXION, ZARIGANI5, Accel Tribe, The Johnny Boys (26th Jan. @ Asahikawa Casino Drive)The Parkinsons, Onion Bomb, Accel Tribe, etc (25th Jan. @ Obihiro Rest)The Parkinsons, Quack, etc (24th Jan. @ Kitami Yuyakematsuri)Sleep Walker (28th Jan. @ Yokohama Motion Blue)JAG : for kids left behind in a battle field (17th Jan. @ Shinjuku Liquid Room)-->more in 2002 |