Yomundo at Bar Rhumba

Yomundo at Bar Rhumba

17 March, 2009
by: Joe Harrod

I catch Yomundo's second ever gig at Bar Rumba in Piccadilly, and I'm very pleasantly surprised. Apparently they contain members of previously successful bands, which is not hard to believe given their obvious musical competency. The venue, while giving me slightly troubling flashbacks to the drum and bass nights of my youth, is great for live music with a big sound system, quality lighting and a massive stage – which still only just manages to contain Yomundo's seven musicians and energetic front-man DeMain.

I chat with them afterwards and apparently they represent 5 different nationalities with as many languages – you can hear this in their music, as Latin crosses paths with funk, jostles for position with a hip-hop beat and decides that, in fact, it might just go and see what those gypsies in the corner are up to. All of this is drenched in their obvious shared passion for reggae, and pinned on proper songs that go somewhere and say something. But don't think their many world influences make them a sterile ‘fusion' band; playing a song in a ‘Spanish' style followed by their ‘tango' number and finished with an over-rehearsed ‘polka' climax. Yomundo are driven by the groove, all their songs respect the audience and their desire to dance and be moved – they just happen to drop many of their favourite sounds in along the way.

In DeMain they have a genuine showman, whether jumping into the crowd to give the audience a close-up of his French rapping, grooving along to a guitar solo or just giving the performance relentless energy, it's hard to take your eyes off him and he bridges the gap between band and audience. Yomundo are a band I will be watching closely over the next few months, they are fresh, talented and destined to go a long way, with proper songs and one hell of a live performance. If you can, see them at a festival, because I can't imagine much better than these guys playing to a crowd of cidered-up hippies. It will go off. See you there...

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Joe Harrod