Sat 6th June: Rodriguez + Fujiya & Miyagi + Matthew Herbert DJ set

There couldn't have been a better way to inaugurate Blaze!

Fujiya & Miyagi, the once-duo now full 4-piece electro rock outfit has performed an amazing show, getting everyone to dance at their catchy tunes, from the elderly lady sit in the front row to the young hippie just here see Rodriguez, and well, to me (but that's not that difficult!)
As in the Barbican standards, the sound was perfect and the lighting games mindblowing!
I was tempted to jump on my seat and start dancing on top of everyone's head HA!
I had never seen them live before, but now I understand why Mojo called them "the perfect union between man and machine".

And then...ladies and gentlemen, Sixto Rodriguez!!
Personally I didn't really get why he had to be walked to the middle of the stage by not even one, but two people, as he turned out to be in great shape (especially when he took his jacket off, huh!). After introducing all the ladies in his family/crew, he finally started playing! And OMG, what a performance! Despite the age, Mr Sugarman's voice is still clear as it was 30 years ago and the way he plays his guitar is still impeccable.
And who knew he was also such a smart entertainer? With his jokes he made us laugh and with his songs he made us dance and cry. And when he played Rich Folks Hoax I almost burst into tears indeed.
The rest of the band was great, too, with a special mention to the organist, that was just INCREDIBLE!!

And in the Clubstage post show, fantastic DJ set by Matthew Herbert, who is a genius in himself so doesn't even need any explanation.
He played a mix of funk, old skool disco and his usual 'weird sounds' (basically, really good experimental electronic music) and made a bunch of 40-something ladies and gents dance like crazy!