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Monobloco antecipated Carnival in London - Jungle went there to check!

Zaira Brilhante

By just looking at the excitment of everybody, literally everybody, was dancing, jumping and singing along to each of the classic lines, conducted by Celso Alvim and Fabio Pereira to suddenly be transported in space. Whoever entered at Guanabara last Tuesday could easily think that July was in the past and London was actually Rio de Janeiro, in February, meaning, Carnival!

Famous for drawing crowds and being one of the biggest Carnival blocos* of Brazil, Monobloco didn’t let anyone stand still. Besides classics of samba and popular Brazilian music, including “Aquarela Brasileira”, “Do Leme ao Pontal”, “Taj Mahal” and “Fio Maravilha”, the group showed that they had been practicing a new set focused on the UK and Ireland tour. There was Bob Marley (“Get up, Stand up”), Stevie Wonder (“Very Supersticious”) and, believe it or not, Amy Whinehouse. Their version of “Rehab” was really creative.

The sympathy, as always, was there as well. After one hour of non-stop music, the group tried to take a leave, but the requests from the audience just could not let them go. Celso and Fabio, holding the microphones, joked: “You will miss the tube, it’s better for you to go home now”. Despite this strong argument, no one apparently accepted the advice, and 40 more minutes of joy followed. Infectious!

Ps: The group has three more dates scheduled, August 25th, at The Star Inn (Surrey) and the 26th and 27th at the WOMAD, in Wiltshire.

*Carnival Blocos - Bands and groups of percussionists that perform on the streets of Rio during the Carnival.