The Insular Theatre might seem like a cold place for the intimate atmosphere and marked feeling concerts that Anni B Sweet usually offers. This Saturday, however, the singer from Malaga was gradually breaking with her warmth that fourth wall that separated her from the stalls. Ana López presented her third album, 'Chasing Illusions', at the Arrecife theatre. It was her first visit to Lanzarote; and with a display of talent she managed to make all the attendees leave wishing it was only the first of many.
Anni B Sweet's third album is in many respects a break with her previous works. Since signing for Subterfuge Records in 2009, Ana López has been building a name for herself on the Spanish indie scene with a candid sound imbued with folk, pop and soul influences, with the shyness that characterises her shining through in her voice and melodies. These traits defined 'Start, Restart, Undo' and also the subsequent 'Oh, Monsters!'. With 'Chasing Illusions', fast rhythms, synthesisers and psychedelia burst into her music. But they do so without jarring; without monopolising. Slowly, they merge with her honeyed voice and sweet style in a mixture that captivates the listener.
The concert by Anni B Sweet and her band in Arrecife turned out to be a journey between these two sides of the same coin. A round trip between candour and frenzy. The repertoire, although focused mainly on her latest album, was a reflection of her evolution as an artist: from the naive sweetness of her first songs, to a maturity that does not lose that innocent essence in the most recent ones. With this new work, Anni B Sweet has shaken off the melancholy with electric sounds and bursts of optimism.
And the Lanzarote public responded to the stimulus. Inhibited at the beginning, they gradually became more uninhibited, perhaps at the same time as Ana López was showing her most unbridled side as she shook her hair to the rhythm of the electric guitar. Thus, songs from this new album were played, such as 'Begginer', 'Chasing illusions', 'Knives', or the fantastic 'Onyx stars', mixed with some previous ones such as 'Motorway'.
If there was perhaps a moment when the public was definitively captivated, it was when, without warning, the entire band left the stage and she was left alone on the stage. A single zenithal spotlight illuminated her and she sang with only the accompaniment of her guitar. That acoustic, soft and at the same time heartbreaking, version of 'Locked in verses' sparked one of the most intense ovations of the night.
Just as exceptional was the song that followed, 'Doctor'. In a preamble full of the shyness that was left behind when she allowed herself to be invaded by the music, Ana López explained that she composed it to "remember" the nightmares she suffered during a period of her life, because "we all have some madness inside". She changed the acoustic guitar for the electric one and started, still alone, the serene beginning of this theme. The calm was suddenly broken by the irruption of the band, capturing in a brilliant staging that dementia to which the song refers. Shortly after, the concert came to an end with two encores that the public did not hesitate to ask for amidst loud applause, nor Anni and her band to give, thanking them for asking them to go back on stage. Her already characteristic version of 'Take on me' was one of those extras.
Anni B Sweet doesn't like planes too much and had a bad time with the ups and downs of the flight she arrived on from Las Palmas. Even so, she explained that what she does like a lot are volcanoes and this island. She admitted that it is "very difficult" to come and play in Lanzarote but that, despite this, she would love to come back. This Saturday she undoubtedly won a good handful of admirers who, for sure, will also love to see her again.
*Bonus track: Maru Cabrera, or singing with the heart
The person in charge of opening the way for Ana López at the Insular Theatre was Maru Cabrera from Lanzarote, one of the winners of the Play & Rec demo contest organised by the Cabildo de Lanzarote. With a raspy voice full of personality, Cabrera was already surprising with the versions she usually performs with her unique touch. This Saturday, however, the surprise turned into admiration when discovering her own compositions.
Her lyrics are full of feeling, full of emotion, but they never cross the line, sometimes tempting, of sentimentalism. The beauty of 'Razón de ser' was possibly the most outstanding of the repertoire she performed. It was a pity that the organisation, the Culture area, decided to bring forward her performance 15 minutes before the scheduled time. This meant that the public found her already on stage as they were settling in, still with the lights on. Despite this, Maru Cabrera had promised to sing with her heart in her hand; and not only did she keep her promise, she managed to make the audience vibrate to the core.