REVIEW OF THE NIGHT WITH LA-33 on the 11July  2008

Review date: 12 July 2008

Ooooweeeee! Orquesta La-33 absolutely rocked Cambridge last night... :-)

Wow! What a show!

The band packed themselves onto the St Pauls stage for what must surely be [in my humble opinion] one of the best live acts Cambridge have had the pleasure of hosting; certainly in terms of Latin/salsa acts. The guys in the band were the ideal combination of charisma, energy, fun, and musicality. They came across as approachable and happy to be there, and looked like they were enjoying the party as much as the rest of us, which always makes a live performance more enjoyable & memorable. That's what it felt like, a party, not a concert. The accoustics were spot on, and they played with their songs in just a way to keep everyone moving (and sweating) all night, whether they were dancers, or just there to enjoy the music.

Despite it not being one of 'their' songs, a high point for me was definitely their rendition of Merecumbe. I'm not sure if some will consider that a compliment or not? I intend it as very high praise though - it was flawless, I loved it. Just the chords at the start had my ears pricked, and sure enough, the trumpet started, the drums kicked in, and yep, it was Merecumbe, and boy, it was a steaming version...! All in all, a huge night. Many thanks to Theo for getting such a great act to Cambridge. I think the rather soggy, v tired, but very smiley state of pretty much everyone is testament to how successful a night it was. Got to give the band huge credit, not only for a fabulous show musically, but for the amazing amount of energy they put into it. You would never have guessed this was just one night among many, in their UK/world tour!

All that's left to say is... Theo, when are they coming back? :-)

DJ Shorty