About a month ago, I attended Locomondo's 20 year celebration concert in Athens. It was really more like a huge party - I've followed this band since early in their career (the first time was at a small Exarcheia bar on New Years Day in 2005) and always had a great time at their concert. This time, I had my young nieces with me; it was really nice to be together for their first rock concert, and they could hardly have had a better initiation.
This Limited Edition vinyl compilation was sold during the concert at a stand in Gazi, the former factory and current "cultural space" in the center of Athens where it all took place. It's called "20" (guess why), but for some reason contains 21 songs covering the whole length of their career. For someone like me, who already had most of their CDs, it was a great opportunity to not only own some of their best songs on vinyl, but also to get some of their popular hits that, for some reason, were never available in physical form before. I'll start my review with exactly these tracks, previously available only on streaming platforms: "80's" (rec.2017) is a tribute to this decade which is certain to appeal to those who, like me, lived through it as kids and teenagers. Singer Markos Koumaris speed-sings/raps about almost everything that constituted the 80's experience for us: music, TV shows, fashion, snacks, important sports events etc. There's some era-appropriate disco influence here, while "Goal" (2010), another nostalgic look at childhood, is typical fast-paced ska, and the latest single included here ("Filtragram", 2023) is closer to dancehall reggae. Of the other two tracks getting their first physical issue here, "Se Eida" (2014) has a reggae beat, while "La Mulatta" (feat. Tonino Carotone, 2017) is a Latin dance piece (sung in Spanish) augmented with a Greek demotic break and rembetiko-inspired baglama solo. For those not familiar with these terms, demotic is traditional Greek village music, while rembetiko is an urban style with oriental influences that appeared in the late 19th/early 20th Century. The Greek baglama is a sort of miniature bouzouki; it became popular when rembetiko was outlawed in the 30's, because the rembetes were able to smuggle it under their coats on the way to their clubs. Locomondo are one of few Greek rockers infusing their songs with traditional influences; it started with their reggae cover of classic rembetiko "Fragkosyriani" (2005) and became a permanent fixture of their program. Similar songs here include "Karapiperim" (2008) and island demotic "Το Plataniotiko Nero", here from their 2009 Live! album. This is reflected in the instrumentation which contains unusual instruments for a rock/reggae band, like the violin and the accordion. Another style they sometimes employ is that of a folk-ish ballad, which can be heard on "O Glaros" (2005), "Gelas Pio Dynata"(2007) and "Heria San Ki Auta" (Live, 2009). The rest of the songs here are in the band's signature style, a mix of ska, latin, and reggae, featuring mostly -but not exclusively- Greek lyrics. They're all fine, but I'll mention specifically the only song from their debut here "Trendy Litsa" (2004) and their first big hit, the everpopular "Den Kanei Kryo Stin Ellada (It's Never Cold In Greece)" (2005), as well as underground hit "Pro". The latter started off as a rough studio demo which slipped out on the internet and became viral in no time; it's written in first person about a guy who spends all his time smoking dope and playing Pro (-evolution soccer) on Playstation. The band, who have a conservative streak in them, didn't dare put it in any of their records, but it was their most-requested song, and became a staple of their live shows. Here we get a live version from 2009's Live! CD. It's done the way they play it in every show, starting off with a snippet of an 80's Greek pop hit meant to coax the audience into participation, and ending with the disclaimer "this is a description, not an incitement". In between, there's a hilarious rant about the joys of slacking and smoking marijuana, set to an infectious reggae beat. Now I know that the Greek language doesn't easily lend itself to this kind of music, and that by not understanding the words you miss a portion of the fun, but you should try Locomondo nevertheless; their music is perfect to put you in a good mood. It goes without saying you should go see them if they come your way; you're guaranteed to have a great time. And, of course, get your hands on this record if you can - not only it's the best primer for your introduction to this band; it's going to disappear from the market and become a collectors' item pretty soon.
***** for Den Kanei Kryo Stin Ellada (It's Never Cold In Greece, 2005), Fragkosyriani (2005), Odysseia (Odyssey, 2013), Ta Koritsia Ksenyhtane/ Pro (Girls Stay Up All Night/Pro, Live! 2009), 80's (2017)
**** for Magiko Hali (Magic Carpet, Live! 2009), Goal (2010), Den Prolavaino (I Can't Make It On Time, Live 2011?), Gamilio Party (Wedding Party, 2008), Sister Shine (Live! 2009), Trendy Litsa (2004), O Glaros (The Seagull, 2005), Me Wanna Dance (2007), Karapiperim (2008), La Mulatta (feat. Tonino Carotone, 2017)
*** for Se Eida (I Saw You, 2014), Star (2019), Filtragram (2023), Gelas Pio Dynata (You Laugh Louder, 2007), Heria San Ki Auta (Hands Like These, 2009), Το Plataniotiko Nero (Water Of The Sycamore, Live! 2009)
