A couple of months ago, on my way back from the beach, I got a call about some Brazilian group called Napalma performing at the old Glass Magic premises in Windermere Road. The rumble in my stomach was begging me to go home and get some food, but something inside told me I'd be sorry. So, for once I followed my head instead of my hunger, to a show that almost brought the house down (literally).

I've always been fond of Brazilian music, but just Cornell's glass work on display that night was enough to reassure me that I had made the right choice. I could marvel at that stuff for hours. Although a small venue, the chilled soundtrack out on the deck and smiling faces had me sold already. I had no idea what to expect, after taking a glance at the guys shuffling around brass instruments, djembe drums, laptops and all kinds of percussion.

Having found out that we still had to wait an hour or two for the show, we missioned down the road for some pizza (I had to crack eventually), and by the time we returned, the small deck where we were chilling out on earlier, had filled up impressively. I was expecting something along the lines of Brazilian trip-hop, Bossa Nova, or a lounge kinda vibe, but what I was confronted with had me, and everyone else in sight, jumping around like that deck was on fire. Needless to say, their sound is very dance-orientated, fusing electronic music with that raw, Brazilian, carnival feel.

There were two guys playing djembe drums, a trumpeter, a dread-locked vocalist and the producer on a laptop, running the popular “Reason” music production software, controlled by a hardware interface. Absolutely incredible. From their energetic stage presence to their vibrant crowd interactivity, they seem to leave you with your jaw hanging at your feet. A few of us honestly believed that the deck was gonna collapse with all that jumping going on (remember, s.o.l?) and even the band looked nervous at one stage. Our friendly boys in blue eventually arrived to try put an end to the commotion, but they must have enjoyed it, because normally when you ignore a warning from the cops you get slapped, yet even after several warnings, the show carried on and without force, only stopped when the band was ready to stop.

Well they're back in the country, bound to cause a stir wherever they go. Napalma do this for a living I hear, traveling the world making music. It seems that they pull crowds no matter what continent they're on, not just by their mind blowing shows, but also from their excellent drumming circles surrounding their gigs. For all of you who enjoy drum circles, keep an eye out for stuff going down at the stables or any drum circle featuring these guys, but beware, if you have a rhythm that you've grown quite fond of, its gonna get permanently Brazilianised!

I really can't do them justice with this article, so you're gonna have to come and see for yourself at the Glass Magic Castle on Saturday the 7th October. Apparently they performed at the Awesome Africa festival over the weekend, which I was very sorry to miss. If anyone went, please let us know how it was!

All pictures are courtesy of their site www.napalma.com.br, which once translated by Google, reveals awesome video clips, music downloads and tour photos. (These guys have been everywhere).