Live review: Pascuala Ilabaca at Rich Mix London (3)

By Najwa Abdullah

With contemporary twists on the rhythms and harmonies of rock, pop, jazz and indigenous traditional music, awe-inspiring Chilean songstress Pascuala Ilabaca and her deft band Fauna thrived to mesmerize their fervent London audience in her UK debut this week. She exercises her personal song-writing with the ambitious, rhythmically complex soundscape of her accordion and keyboard combined with the ultimate manifestation of her band’s sound-painting of guitar, strings, clarinet, saxophone and drum, creating surprise elements in every tune. At the heart of her stirring concert is her suave, soft yet sprightly vocal style seamlessly transitioning across different sounds, drawing the listeners to the sea of lush sounds and sophisticated ballads. Pascualla’s soulful voice delightfully ornaments the upbeat melody and rock elements and transforms every song into something you might hear in relaxing jazz performances.
Throughout her concert at Rich Mix, London, she shared her deep interest in traditional beats and Chilean folkloric roots along with her admiration of bohemian lifestyle and exhilarating travels to far-flung parts of the world such as India, making the messages behind her music as one of her utmost significances. The musical verve and delicate vocal were impeccably presented in the song Busco Paraiso –synonymous with their latest album title— and Pecado where she began the pleasingly-lyrical songs with slow-moving melody and took the audience by surprise with the upbeat Latin-American pitch that induce some serious audience toe-tapping and shoulder-swaying.
Given the multi-faceted natural grandeur and musical inventiveness, it is somewhat difficult to categorize their music into a particular genre. This engaging young artist and extraordinary band from Valparaiso, Chile, are clearly a breath of fresh air in the West music scene; inescapably ecstatic, personal, sensual and definitely well worth a listen. After London, Pascuala and her band Fauna are set to dazzle the British audience in other UK cities such as York, Bristol, Cambridge and Birmingham till the end of November.

Pascuala Ilabaca at Rich Mix London (18 Nov 14)