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Nearly everything about Carlinhos Brown’s performance was bizarre, from his brandishing a paper boat as he bounded on stage to the moment he stripped off his cape and shirt to don a native Indian headdress. He performed part of his set from the midst of the crowd, while his band batted a football amongst themselves, before announcing his desire to create a carnival in London.

The Barbican isn’t known for its audience participation but Brown soon had the audience dancing in the aisles and then running from side to side in conga like style. It may have taken a while for some to feel comfortable but inhibitions were soon forgotten and if anyone can recreate the carnival vibe in London it is clearly Carlinhos.

He first came to fame fronting the 100-strong percussion group Timbalada, and has since gone on to launch a successful solo career and the internationally acclaimed Os Tribalistas, featuring Arnaldo Antunes and Marisa Monte. We had songs from each stage of his career; with ‘Ja Sei Namorar’ being one of the nights highlights but ‘Carlito Marrón’ unfortunately lost somewhat in the whirlwind unwinding on stage.

The 16 strong ensemble whizzed through a repertoire that featured MPB, samba-rock, samba reggae and Afrodance. If you wanted to be cruel you could describe much of it as cheesey but it wasn’t about serious musical rendition it was about having fun and it was hard to find a face not smiling.

Carlinhos Brown was performing as part of the Barbican’s Groove Nation series.

Links:The Barbican