The Venezuelan Funksters played at full tilt throughout the concert firing up the crowd with their best numbers some parts melded into a continuous stream. The audience appreciatively sang along enthusiastically. This is a tight versatile ensemble playing Latin/funk/ jazz/ house/ you- name- it- band! Nothing is beyond them, it is what I would call a gigging band. They understand their audience and know how to put on a show. They were clearly having as good a time as they've ever had, carrying their audience with them on their energetic flight, enveloped in the effective lighting effects and back projections that were choreographed to the music.
Clearly the influence of David Byrne (Luakabop label) is ever present. He was one of the first to sign them early on, having seen through their then, not so slick performances, to the heart beneath. They proved him right by winning two Grammys (Commercial 2009 and Repeat after me, 2013), and receiving a clutch of Grammy nominations for their other albums.
The band is held tightly together by the superb bass playing of Jose Rafael Torres, together with the drums and keyboards- The Islington Assembly Hall offers a good size space but sadly, they were let down by the sound system, so that some of the lyrics and chat were lost and partly inaudible, a great pity for a good band like Los Amigos Invisibles. Fortunately for those of us dancing away, these details were not such a problem. They played their most popular tracks, like La que me gusta, Cuchi-Cuchi, Dame el Mambo and Óyeme Nena, not to forget Amor composed by last year’s Lukas Award winner Jorge Spiteri, to all of which the audience roared their approval.
