Luis Nieto Dickens for Elsewhere.
It feels like a long time since I first came across Hinds in a lo-fi garage rock playlist. It was an early demo of “Castigadas en el Granero” from their Barn EP and it was an instant crush for me. That song had more passion, balls and street cred than any of the other boys band in the mixtape. I felt as if a wild stampede of bulls was coming at me and girls where riding them. I desperately wanted to find out more about these Spanish atomic gals.
After the success of their debut album Leave me Alone, released a couple of years ago, they tirelessly toured the world making stops at diverse venues and Urban Outfitters shops recruiting an army of fierce adolescents looking for meaning in something. After being done with that, they eventually took some time to go back to the studio and record their upcoming album I Don’t Run.
I had seen them before in a bigger venue, so the idea of Hinds playing a last minute show at the small Elsewhere (Zone One) room sounded beyond fun. After all, the effervescence and juvenile vibes of the crowd would make it feel like a house party.
After greeting the audience and sharing their excitement for their new album release, they improvised a choreography for “Caribbean Moon” and they do it without missing a single note. Doesn’t really matter if a drum beat comes earlier than expected cause their energy is so infectious it brightens up the whole room. The girls are killing it effortlessly. By now their hits are well-known by the vigorous crowd who sings em loud and the band is loving it. There is a genuine connection between them and they make it look so easy.
Ana holds the guitar like a shotgun, Carlota’s growling and presence on stage is so slick she might as well be the next Catwoman, Ade is wearing the coolest sunglasses looking like the modern version of Brian Jones, Baby Grimbo on the drums is holding everything together. They close the night with their beloved sing-a-long cover of “Davey Crockett” which is a tradition already and the crowd goes wild. Good vibes, good times, Viva Hinds!
