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One of Venezuela’s most popular rock bands descended on the House of Blues Anaheim on Wednesday night, and generally speaking, the group did not disappoint.
The sextet that David Byrne helped introduce to U.S. audiences played a 1½ hour set at the Mouse House, demonstrating its facility with Latin rhythms, funk, disco and a touch of acid jazz.
Led by Julio Briceño on vocals, the band (now based in Brooklyn) also includes José Luis Pardo on guitar and background vocals, Armando Figueredo on keyboards, José Rafael Torres on bass, Mauricio Arcas on congas and percussion, and Juan Manuel Roura on drums.
After a brief, funky musical introduction, Briceño hit the stage with white, 70’s-looking sunglasses, jeans and boots. He sang with authority and verve, though he was nearly upstaged on occasion when lively guitarist Pardo sang background vocals on a microphone that distorted his voice and made him sound like a reverb robot.
Los Amigos performed a number of songs from its latest album, “Commercial,” including the catchy “Mentiras,” “Plastic Woman” and “Loco Por Tu Amor.” Several songs from the past were also sprinkled in, including “Yo No Sé,” “Amor,” “All Day Today” and “Esto es lo Que Hay.”
Percussionist Arcas offered an impressive rap on “Esto,” while the rest of the band sang backup. Keyboardist Figueredo took his shirt off to expose his wiry body just before “Mentiras.” I guess it was supposed to be hot.
About a third of the way in, Briceño walked offstage for a break, while the instrumentalists played the orchestral beginning of “Head Over Heels” by Tears for Fears. That was pretty cool – I wish they had done the whole song.
Briceño addressed the audience in Spanish and some English, although his English was not entirely audible. He sang one of the band’s new songs in English, “In Luv with You.” It was passable, though Briceño’s vocals occasionally sounded karaoke-ish.
The lead singer also turned his microphone over to the crowd rather often, which was a bit annoying. On one song, “El Disco Anal,” he even allowed individual members from the audience to clutch the mike and sing the song.
This practice got irritating after a while. Let’s face it, Briceño’s the professional singer. He does the best job at serving these songs up. Random audience members are never going to sing as well as him.
Briceño led a Police-like chorus of “Eee-oh-oh,” then later said something in Spanish about needing money to purchase food – burritos and pornography. I guess that was supposed to be funny.
Los Amigos offered an excellent, extended version of “Merengue Killa,” with an authentic, hip-shaking meringue beat and musical structure. Later, the group got the audience jumping with a cumbia version of “The Venga Bus is Coming” – that synthy hit that still serves as a soundtrack to Magic Mountain commercials.
For its encore, Los Amigos churned out a layered “Dulce,” providing a tapestry of sound yet supplying it with a solid beat.
The final tune was “Cuchi-Cuchi,” perhaps the band’s best-known ditty. The sexy and sexual song was featured on the group’s breakthrough album, “Arepa 3000,” as well as on the 2001 “Tortilla Soup” soundtrack.
Briceño missed the first several verses, since his microphone was unplugged. He was yelling the words out, but no one could hear amid the amplified music.
Though it started inauspiciously, “Cuchi-Cuchi” built momentum and wound up being a satisfying crowd pleaser.
The spacey rock outfit West Indian Girl opened for Los Amigos Wednesday night. The Venezuelan sextet’s next Southern California appearances are Thursday night at the House of Blues San Diego and Friday night at the House of Blues Sunset Strip in Hollywood.
Contact the writer: 714-796-6026 or rchang@ocregister.com
