Aiko el Grupo – Live at RNE Radio 3 – April 30, 2021 – Radio Nacional España –
Aiko el Grupo in session tonight. Recorded live at Radio Nacional España’s Radio 3 at an audience-less performance just a couple weeks ago.
Spain appears to be jumping into the Pop/Punk genre rather well these past few years. With bands like Hind creating a stir on the festival circuit before COVID hit and turned everything dark. Aiko el Grupo are following those footsteps and I admit I’ve been playing their debut single quite a bit this past year and just enjoying the hell out of them. They half-seriously refer to their genre as Flamenco Fusion (okay, a stretch) and there’s at least one familiar face in their ranks. Teresa Iñesta, the powerhouse drummer from Repion appears to be moonlighting here (she’s the deceptively solemn one on the extreme right in the photo).
Spanish press is calling them “the most refreshing Punk-Pop group of the year” and already have a growing fanbase in the Madrid underground. This session for the RNE series Los Conciertos de Radio 3 should widen their popularity. Unfortunately, because of COVID and the shutdown of venues and concert halls until maybe this Summer, they can’t really get out and start touring; doing festivals one-nighters and the general slog – so these one-off radio gigs are going to be it for now. Still, they are doing well despite the drawbacks and that bodes well when things go back to a variation on normal, whenever that’s going to be.
I know for a lot of bands it’s been hard keeping up the enthusiasm, especially when you don’t know when it’s safe to go back to living life and when your career depends on getting a message out to living, breathing audiences. Rock music is one musical genre that depends on the audience energy, the back-and-forth vibe that you only get when there are actual people on the other side of the lights. Aiko el Grupo have done pretty well so far, with the limitations they’re dealing with.
In the meantime, grab their new album and check out this radio gig – good times and something high-voltage for your week.
